Maine has now come and gone. The boys finished with a police escort on a cool August morning, rollerblading up the East Coast shoreline. With big smiles on their faces, all four skaters glided across the painted black and white checked line amidst cheering children and supportive family, friends, and fans. Their victory lap was photographed, videotaped, and celebrated by a contingent of Mainers!
After entertaining the local media and cutting the four finish-line cakes (kindly made for the four boys!) Cindy Ziobrowski introduced the skaters and spoke about Rolling For Autism. Cindy graciously hosted us at the Kittery Trading Post and put together the entire finish line event, for which we are all very thankful. From her Camp CARD-NE many of her campers and counselors joined the fun! She recognized the boys' achievements and asked them questions about their long journey from Florida to Maine. The kids in the audience were attuned to their voices and appeared to take in every detail of their shared memories. Not only were the children attentive, but parents, visitors, and all of the supporters shared a feeling of joy in seeing these four, new college graduates raise so much money for a cause close to their hearts. Not only did this team of skaters and others create scholarships for people with autism, but the team also spread a message about what it means to set a goal and meet it. Dan, Sean, Carson, and Jason exemplified giving of themselves to others.
Kittery, Maine was the perfect place to celebrate this accomplishment! After the boys rolled across the finish line they spoke with many children and adults about their efforts. Along with introducing themselves to many of their supporters, Dan found himself trying out the pony rides. Though Carson had no problem riding his pony, Dan ended up on the ground! Other spectacles included face painting and balloon animals. Also, the silent auction and raffle interested many locals. NASCAR items were raffled off, lobster baskets, stuffed animals, red sox items, polo shirts, and Peppridge Farm treats! The big ticket items were NASCAR car pieces, actually from two cars that have raced this past year. These car pieces are still up for raffle through Cindy!
We had all of these activities going on as well as a book signing by Karen Crystal, called "Navigating through Autism." She signed books and generously told her story about her son Gabe and what she wished she had known at the time of diagnosis. She shares the A,B,Cs of her son's experience and her own as a parent. The book also features Comic Sans script, which is one of only two scripts that are made to be easy on the eye, and as she said, "children with autism can read." We were also blessed to have Deb Lipsky join us to speak about her experience with autism and being diagnosed only after the age of forty. She spoke for two hours about autism and her world, which interested many of our guests.
Thank you to everyone that made the Maine finish line a success. The boys have since caught up on their sleep and two have started to work in the "real world"! The girls who were daring enough to join the team in the Mid-Atlantic are settling in and fully recovered from their bruises and blisters as well. On Rolling For Autism's behalf, we thank Maine for hosting us at the end of this fascinating trip!
Thank you all.
Lauren F. from Massachusetts
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Monday, August 27, 2007
Rock'n Rolling for Autism ---Dover, NH
There have been different ways of expressing how meaningful some of the Rolling For Autism adventures have been. Dan has said that there are stories that he will tell his grandchildren. My sister, Sue, says that there are memories that she will take to her grave but that her grave may come sooner as a result of RFA due to her worrying about the skaters for 54 days! I was fortunate to travel with the RFA group during parts of their journey in NJ, NYC and New England. The afternoon at Dover was a special time amid a journey with many highlights.
My husband, Neil and I arrived in Dover about an hour before the skaters scheduled arrival. Folks were busy setting up, and I offered to help at a booth that was distributing T-shirts from every state in the US. These T-shirts were the result of the efforts of Austin Fisher who worked with his mother at contacting every governor, requesting a state T-shirt. While passing out shirts, I got to meet some of the families from the Dover area, many of whom were associated with the Easter Seals Autism Network. I was told of the effect that autism can have on a family, a school and a community.
Members of the community had brought all kinds of delicious food, both homemade and donated by local businesses. There were booths with games and information. The Ashmont Station Band set a festive note. There was excitement in the air as we anticipated the arrival of the skaters. Folks gathered at the edge of the park as the police escort car came into sight followed by Dan, Sean, Jason, Carson and Elaine amid cheering and music from the band. The skaters were introduced and given a cake and gifts. They then made their way into the crowd greeting people, playing games with the kids and having their photos taken with many kids wearing the state shirts. Skater, Jason Ortalano played baseball with a group of kids. The skaters chatted with family members and were down at eye level visiting with the excited kids. Some of the skaters were interviewed by the local paper. The media attention has helped to create awareness of autism, its impact and the need for services and support.
We were delighted to see friends and family of all ages, some who had driven a distance to be at the event. It was a windy, cool August day, far different from the blistering heat the skaters encountered as they skated through the south. We donned jackets and hoodies. Elaine was asked to show her very bruised upper leg and Carson could be seen stretching his injured knee. This was the last stop before the final two skates and the finish at Kittery, Maine. The skaters were intact, a bit road weary, but still full of enthusiasm. Ginny Johnson, the lead singer in the band asked a young boy if he would like to sing on stage. With much encouragement he ventured forth and joined Ginny in singing a John Denver song, "Country roads, take me home..." It was the home stretch; after many roads, time to think about home.
We would especially like to thank Viki Gayhardt of Raymond Easter Seals who organized this wonderful event. We express appreciation to Patti Rawding Anderson, Program Director at Easter Seal's Family Place. Additional thanks go out to Jen Fernald and Dawn Brady of Dover Easter Seals. Thank you to Sherry Paplaskas of Raymond Easter Seals and Krissy Caster of the Autism Society of NH for the social story and signs. The day would not have been the same without the great music of the Ashmont Station Band. We were deeply touched by generous financial donations to Rolling For Autism. It is impossible to name all the people who donated food, and time to organizing such an event, so here's a big THANK YOU to everybody who came with such energy and spirit.
Lini Marcotte Tatar
AKA Ben and Dan's Mom
My husband, Neil and I arrived in Dover about an hour before the skaters scheduled arrival. Folks were busy setting up, and I offered to help at a booth that was distributing T-shirts from every state in the US. These T-shirts were the result of the efforts of Austin Fisher who worked with his mother at contacting every governor, requesting a state T-shirt. While passing out shirts, I got to meet some of the families from the Dover area, many of whom were associated with the Easter Seals Autism Network. I was told of the effect that autism can have on a family, a school and a community.
Members of the community had brought all kinds of delicious food, both homemade and donated by local businesses. There were booths with games and information. The Ashmont Station Band set a festive note. There was excitement in the air as we anticipated the arrival of the skaters. Folks gathered at the edge of the park as the police escort car came into sight followed by Dan, Sean, Jason, Carson and Elaine amid cheering and music from the band. The skaters were introduced and given a cake and gifts. They then made their way into the crowd greeting people, playing games with the kids and having their photos taken with many kids wearing the state shirts. Skater, Jason Ortalano played baseball with a group of kids. The skaters chatted with family members and were down at eye level visiting with the excited kids. Some of the skaters were interviewed by the local paper. The media attention has helped to create awareness of autism, its impact and the need for services and support.
We were delighted to see friends and family of all ages, some who had driven a distance to be at the event. It was a windy, cool August day, far different from the blistering heat the skaters encountered as they skated through the south. We donned jackets and hoodies. Elaine was asked to show her very bruised upper leg and Carson could be seen stretching his injured knee. This was the last stop before the final two skates and the finish at Kittery, Maine. The skaters were intact, a bit road weary, but still full of enthusiasm. Ginny Johnson, the lead singer in the band asked a young boy if he would like to sing on stage. With much encouragement he ventured forth and joined Ginny in singing a John Denver song, "Country roads, take me home..." It was the home stretch; after many roads, time to think about home.
We would especially like to thank Viki Gayhardt of Raymond Easter Seals who organized this wonderful event. We express appreciation to Patti Rawding Anderson, Program Director at Easter Seal's Family Place. Additional thanks go out to Jen Fernald and Dawn Brady of Dover Easter Seals. Thank you to Sherry Paplaskas of Raymond Easter Seals and Krissy Caster of the Autism Society of NH for the social story and signs. The day would not have been the same without the great music of the Ashmont Station Band. We were deeply touched by generous financial donations to Rolling For Autism. It is impossible to name all the people who donated food, and time to organizing such an event, so here's a big THANK YOU to everybody who came with such energy and spirit.
Lini Marcotte Tatar
AKA Ben and Dan's Mom
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Beantown Fun
Hi Friends,
After a much needed break, we're going to be back for the next few weeks sharing our experiences, stories, and lessons from the road. Please comment often, as we want this to be an open forum. Ask questions, tell about your stories...we want to hear from you just as much as you want to hear from us. If anyone we met along the way wants to post to the blog, let me know and I'll give you access.
Friday night was our Boston Event, and it didn't disappoint. Chris Konnick, Dennis Quandt, and Brian Kerr organized a night of fun at the Improv Asylum Comedy Club and the Bell in Hand Bar in Boston's Fanieul Hall.
After two months on the road, we decided to make the Boston event a night of adult oriented fun. Not only did it give the RollingForAutism Skaters the opportunity to reacquaint with our friends, but it gave some very deserving parents a reason to get a babysitter, and leave the house for a night of fun. The night began with a cocktail hour with appetizers, a silent auction, and plenty of chatter. Around 7:30, the crowd was escorted into the small theater, and the show opened with Carson Strang on the mic. Carson welcomed, thanked, and shared a few cheeky jokes with the crowd. Carson spoke briefly of some of the lessons learnt from the road, and more specifically, of the energy Carson received from teaching kids to rollerblade at the Timothy School outside of Philadelphia. I was on the microphone next, and easily overshadowed each of the night's comedians.
After the show, the crew headed to the Bell in Hand Bar where over 200 RollingForAutism friends gathered for a few drinks. The night was a huge success as nearly $4,000 was raised!
Saturday's trip to Dover to follow, with a special guest poster....my mom.
Bests,
Dan T.
After a much needed break, we're going to be back for the next few weeks sharing our experiences, stories, and lessons from the road. Please comment often, as we want this to be an open forum. Ask questions, tell about your stories...we want to hear from you just as much as you want to hear from us. If anyone we met along the way wants to post to the blog, let me know and I'll give you access.
Friday night was our Boston Event, and it didn't disappoint. Chris Konnick, Dennis Quandt, and Brian Kerr organized a night of fun at the Improv Asylum Comedy Club and the Bell in Hand Bar in Boston's Fanieul Hall.
After two months on the road, we decided to make the Boston event a night of adult oriented fun. Not only did it give the RollingForAutism Skaters the opportunity to reacquaint with our friends, but it gave some very deserving parents a reason to get a babysitter, and leave the house for a night of fun. The night began with a cocktail hour with appetizers, a silent auction, and plenty of chatter. Around 7:30, the crowd was escorted into the small theater, and the show opened with Carson Strang on the mic. Carson welcomed, thanked, and shared a few cheeky jokes with the crowd. Carson spoke briefly of some of the lessons learnt from the road, and more specifically, of the energy Carson received from teaching kids to rollerblade at the Timothy School outside of Philadelphia. I was on the microphone next, and easily overshadowed each of the night's comedians.
After the show, the crew headed to the Bell in Hand Bar where over 200 RollingForAutism friends gathered for a few drinks. The night was a huge success as nearly $4,000 was raised!
Saturday's trip to Dover to follow, with a special guest poster....my mom.
Bests,
Dan T.
A Dad's Perspective
I would like to extend my thanks to so many of you for supporting the skaters throughout their journey, and the success of Rolling For Autism certainly was built upon such support. The experience has been life changing for many, myself included. One just has to see the expression of excitement on the face of a child or hear the most genuine words of appreciation from a parent to realize that true accomplishment is measured by what we can do to help others. I was fortunate to be able to join the team for the final two weeks, and found everyone constantly busy with fund raising, parties, media events, travel, and (of course) roller blading. The trip was truly an adventure, with many interesting activities and a few good stories to boot! In a time where so much focus is placed on the problems that we face around the world, it has been refreshing to see this group of recent colllege grads set an example that we can all strive to follow. I applaud you for sticking to this cause from start to finish. Rolling For Autism has come a long way since our earliest discussions and planning of almost a year ago.
Now that the finish line has been crossed in Kittery, it will be important to keep the effort moving forward, and we will continue to build upon the momentum that has been created.
Neil T.
Now that the finish line has been crossed in Kittery, it will be important to keep the effort moving forward, and we will continue to build upon the momentum that has been created.
Neil T.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Home at last
Good evening,
Our journey ended around 9:30 this morning as we crossed the finish line in front of a nice crowd in Kittery, Maine. The entire weekend was full of festivities...and we're going to write about all of them.......but not tonight. Its 11:04 and I'm beyond tired. Please check back everyday this week for news from the final three days, as well as a post trip entry from each skater and several of our behind the scenes teammmates.
Until I get some energy...
Bests,
Dan T.
Our journey ended around 9:30 this morning as we crossed the finish line in front of a nice crowd in Kittery, Maine. The entire weekend was full of festivities...and we're going to write about all of them.......but not tonight. Its 11:04 and I'm beyond tired. Please check back everyday this week for news from the final three days, as well as a post trip entry from each skater and several of our behind the scenes teammmates.
Until I get some energy...
Bests,
Dan T.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
The Finish Line Is Almost Here
Hello All,
The last two days have been full of skating through Connecticut. Yesterday we skated near Dan’s high school, Loomis Chaffee Prep School in Windsor, CT. Windsor is a beautiful little town with a flat surface. We skated 30 miles and had three falls. As Striech was helping Ben down a small hill, Ben lost control and brought Striech into the bushes with him. Thankfully no one was hurt. In the last half a mile, I clumsily skated over a stick and ate it on a curb. I ended the day with a nice big bruise and scrape. Kelly and I now have matching wounds on our upper left leg. Don’t worry, we will take a picture and post it for the rollingforautism website. Now I can put my four years of nursing school to use to put a dressing on Kelly’s bum. Thanks to Doctor Stevens she has medicated cream and antibiotics to help heal her grapefruit size scrape.
Today we visited, Patty, who kindly raises dogs with the help of her children to give to children with autism. Her company is called North Star and runs throughout the nation. We had the opportunity to play with two goldren retriever puppies who were amazingly calm. These dogs can make a tremendous difference in how children act; decreasing anxiety and fears. We thank you for inviting us into your home and feeding us lunch! This afternoon we skated from Hartford, CT to Sturbridge, MA. Kelly and I drove and let our legs heal. There were a lot of fairly big hills so great job to the skaters…Dan, Streich, Carson, Amber, and Billy!! Tomorrow we have another six skaters joining us as we head to Worchester, MA.
Reminder, this Friday is our big event in Boston. 6 PM at the Improv Asylum in the North End and then 9 PM at the Bell in Hand Bar.
Hope to see you all there!
Elaine L.
The last two days have been full of skating through Connecticut. Yesterday we skated near Dan’s high school, Loomis Chaffee Prep School in Windsor, CT. Windsor is a beautiful little town with a flat surface. We skated 30 miles and had three falls. As Striech was helping Ben down a small hill, Ben lost control and brought Striech into the bushes with him. Thankfully no one was hurt. In the last half a mile, I clumsily skated over a stick and ate it on a curb. I ended the day with a nice big bruise and scrape. Kelly and I now have matching wounds on our upper left leg. Don’t worry, we will take a picture and post it for the rollingforautism website. Now I can put my four years of nursing school to use to put a dressing on Kelly’s bum. Thanks to Doctor Stevens she has medicated cream and antibiotics to help heal her grapefruit size scrape.
Today we visited, Patty, who kindly raises dogs with the help of her children to give to children with autism. Her company is called North Star and runs throughout the nation. We had the opportunity to play with two goldren retriever puppies who were amazingly calm. These dogs can make a tremendous difference in how children act; decreasing anxiety and fears. We thank you for inviting us into your home and feeding us lunch! This afternoon we skated from Hartford, CT to Sturbridge, MA. Kelly and I drove and let our legs heal. There were a lot of fairly big hills so great job to the skaters…Dan, Streich, Carson, Amber, and Billy!! Tomorrow we have another six skaters joining us as we head to Worchester, MA.
Reminder, this Friday is our big event in Boston. 6 PM at the Improv Asylum in the North End and then 9 PM at the Bell in Hand Bar.
Hope to see you all there!
Elaine L.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Winding hills, Wrong directions, and Medical attention
How's it going -
Today was fun. It was a good mix of humor, fun, nervousness and excitement. The day started out late. For me anyways. I didn't get up until 11 o'clock 11:30ish. Dan was up early I heard as he was on the phone with people and doing some business for the trip. 6 days left including today. They can't believe how fast the trip has gone and they are all looking foreward to sleeping in their own beds for a change. We left between 12 and 1pm-ish to do our daily skate. We drove out into the middle of nowehere. Myself, Dan, Carson, and Sean got out - laced up our skates - and started skating. We had the cars go ahead a couple miles and we would meet them there to take a brief break to allow us time to hydrate ourselves and give our legs a rest. We did this numerous times........
When I stopped skating - 10 miles or so later, I joined Amber and Vicki in the van and rode with them for what we thought would only be alittle while. Elaine drove the Subaru ahead of us. We guessed wrong on how long we would be driving. We talked to Streich at one stopping point and apparently there was a miscommunication of where they [the skaters] were supposed to turn off to meet us. So when we turned off on the road to where Kelly, Sean, Orto, and Carson were to meet us Vicki, Elaine, and Amber all went out for a short skate. And Vicki tackled her first real hill on rollerblades. So congratulations to her:) They returned and we still had not heard from any of the four main skaters. So we went out looking for them. It wasnt until one of the skater's cellular phones rang in the back of the van that we had our first clue of where they were. Apparently, Orto and Kelly both fell. Orto fell into a tree and Kelly slid down a hill. Medical attention was administered and both are doing fine now.
After we recieved the phone call, we took down the address of where they were, punched it into "Jim" the GPS system and expected him to guide us there. Well - it guided us to the middle of nowhere. This scenic path outside of town. We called back the number at which we were called from and then spoke to someone (I don't know who because Vicki did the talking). We got the correct address and went out looking for it - without the use of the GPS system. We pulled up to a complex on the main road to find Streich waving us to the driveway and two skaters laying on the front lawn. From this point we took a couple of minutes to gather ourselves before heading for gas and then to our place to stay for the night. A beachouse in Milford, CT. Thank you to Dan's aunt for allowing us to stay at their place. A couple of us went to the beach. We had a BBQ with burgers, corn and such. All the food was good.
Today was my last day on the trip. It has been a good time. The memories last. And so will the friendships. I have a big travel day tomorrow before I have to work tomorrow night so I'm going to go to bed.
Take care,
Jamie C
Today was fun. It was a good mix of humor, fun, nervousness and excitement. The day started out late. For me anyways. I didn't get up until 11 o'clock 11:30ish. Dan was up early I heard as he was on the phone with people and doing some business for the trip. 6 days left including today. They can't believe how fast the trip has gone and they are all looking foreward to sleeping in their own beds for a change. We left between 12 and 1pm-ish to do our daily skate. We drove out into the middle of nowehere. Myself, Dan, Carson, and Sean got out - laced up our skates - and started skating. We had the cars go ahead a couple miles and we would meet them there to take a brief break to allow us time to hydrate ourselves and give our legs a rest. We did this numerous times........
When I stopped skating - 10 miles or so later, I joined Amber and Vicki in the van and rode with them for what we thought would only be alittle while. Elaine drove the Subaru ahead of us. We guessed wrong on how long we would be driving. We talked to Streich at one stopping point and apparently there was a miscommunication of where they [the skaters] were supposed to turn off to meet us. So when we turned off on the road to where Kelly, Sean, Orto, and Carson were to meet us Vicki, Elaine, and Amber all went out for a short skate. And Vicki tackled her first real hill on rollerblades. So congratulations to her:) They returned and we still had not heard from any of the four main skaters. So we went out looking for them. It wasnt until one of the skater's cellular phones rang in the back of the van that we had our first clue of where they were. Apparently, Orto and Kelly both fell. Orto fell into a tree and Kelly slid down a hill. Medical attention was administered and both are doing fine now.
After we recieved the phone call, we took down the address of where they were, punched it into "Jim" the GPS system and expected him to guide us there. Well - it guided us to the middle of nowhere. This scenic path outside of town. We called back the number at which we were called from and then spoke to someone (I don't know who because Vicki did the talking). We got the correct address and went out looking for it - without the use of the GPS system. We pulled up to a complex on the main road to find Streich waving us to the driveway and two skaters laying on the front lawn. From this point we took a couple of minutes to gather ourselves before heading for gas and then to our place to stay for the night. A beachouse in Milford, CT. Thank you to Dan's aunt for allowing us to stay at their place. A couple of us went to the beach. We had a BBQ with burgers, corn and such. All the food was good.
Today was my last day on the trip. It has been a good time. The memories last. And so will the friendships. I have a big travel day tomorrow before I have to work tomorrow night so I'm going to go to bed.
Take care,
Jamie C
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Carson Sang
Good Evening,
The RollingForAutism Team spent this past weekend in the Big Apple, and as predicted...things got a little "bonkers."
The weekend started Friday evening with a party at Manhattan's Bar XII. Arranged by several RollingForAutism Team Members and Bar XII, the night was an enormous success. Through the combination of Bar XII's drink specials, cover charge, and generous patrons, nearly $1300 was raised in just a few hours. More important, everyone in attendance had a great time, and the night gave our skaters and workers an opportunity to mingle with old friends and meet new supporters. Not to mention enjoy a great night out in an amazing city.
After a skate through Queens, the rollingforautism team was lucky enough to have two amazing supporters and friends, Guido and Lenny, invite them all out to a fantastic dinner in one of downtown Manhattan's trendiest restaurants, Botino. Lenny and Guido treated the 25 or so RollingForAutism skaters, family and friends in attendance to one of the best dinners and most memorable nights of the trip. After closing down the restaurant, most of the crowd Migrated with Guido and Lenny to a hip piano bar in the East Village, where we had the pleasure of listening to the artistic stylings of RollingForAutism's most talented performers, Carson Strang. With a unique rendition of our country's Star Spangled Banner, Carson was the hit of the night.
The weekend ended with a skate into Southern Connecticut for a trip to the Bridgeport Zoo. Luckily for the skaters whom were unable to shower between their skate and the zoo, their scent was overshadowed by the animals. We'd like to take the opportunity to thank the animals of the zoo for making our stay more pleasurable.
Briefly, thank you to Guido, Lenny, Jenkins, Calabros, Mrs. Silvestri, Bar XII, and Francis Scott Key.
Cheers,
Dan T. and Vicki K.
The RollingForAutism Team spent this past weekend in the Big Apple, and as predicted...things got a little "bonkers."
The weekend started Friday evening with a party at Manhattan's Bar XII. Arranged by several RollingForAutism Team Members and Bar XII, the night was an enormous success. Through the combination of Bar XII's drink specials, cover charge, and generous patrons, nearly $1300 was raised in just a few hours. More important, everyone in attendance had a great time, and the night gave our skaters and workers an opportunity to mingle with old friends and meet new supporters. Not to mention enjoy a great night out in an amazing city.
After a skate through Queens, the rollingforautism team was lucky enough to have two amazing supporters and friends, Guido and Lenny, invite them all out to a fantastic dinner in one of downtown Manhattan's trendiest restaurants, Botino. Lenny and Guido treated the 25 or so RollingForAutism skaters, family and friends in attendance to one of the best dinners and most memorable nights of the trip. After closing down the restaurant, most of the crowd Migrated with Guido and Lenny to a hip piano bar in the East Village, where we had the pleasure of listening to the artistic stylings of RollingForAutism's most talented performers, Carson Strang. With a unique rendition of our country's Star Spangled Banner, Carson was the hit of the night.
The weekend ended with a skate into Southern Connecticut for a trip to the Bridgeport Zoo. Luckily for the skaters whom were unable to shower between their skate and the zoo, their scent was overshadowed by the animals. We'd like to take the opportunity to thank the animals of the zoo for making our stay more pleasurable.
Briefly, thank you to Guido, Lenny, Jenkins, Calabros, Mrs. Silvestri, Bar XII, and Francis Scott Key.
Cheers,
Dan T. and Vicki K.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Good Morning America
Hi friends,
A lot has happened over the past two days.
We woke up at 4am Wednesday morning for our largest media appearance to date, Good Morning America. Excited and a bit nervous, we packed into Aunt Linda's car for a wild ride through a storm into Manhattan. I was unaware of my aunt's Nascar-like driving abilities as she dodged lightening bolts and hydroplaned her way through New Jersey and into Times Square.
We were greeted at the studio by our RollingForAutism PR princess, Amanda Silvestri. Over the course of the trip, Amanda has been extremely instrumental in arranging many media appearances. Visibly nervous and excited for our big day, Amanda lead us into the studio where we took a seat next to "The World's Tallest Man." As RollingForAutism's shortest skater, I felt even more vertically challenged seated next to the 7'8" monster.
Our appearance was brief, but effective. We skated circles around the shows 4 hosts, as they spoke of our efforts. Footage was shown of us skating on the road from North Carolina, and our website was linked to ABC's.
Immediately after the appearance, we decided that we missed an opportunity to create additional attention. If Streich had fallen on the set, tripping Diane Sawyer...our media exposure would've increased drastically. Regardless, our website received tons of hits from across the country immediately after the show, and donations continue to come in at a steady pace.
Our week ended with a barbecue last night with families from the New Jersey area impacted by Autism. Special guest appearances were made by New Jersey Devil Hockey Players, and foot long hot dogs and burgers were donated by Sodexho. A good time was had by all.
We owe Linda and Mark a huge thank you for their hospitality. It takes two brave and generous souls to host 12 college students.
Party at BarXII in NYC tonight. Hope to see everyone out!
Cheers,
Dan T.
A lot has happened over the past two days.
We woke up at 4am Wednesday morning for our largest media appearance to date, Good Morning America. Excited and a bit nervous, we packed into Aunt Linda's car for a wild ride through a storm into Manhattan. I was unaware of my aunt's Nascar-like driving abilities as she dodged lightening bolts and hydroplaned her way through New Jersey and into Times Square.
We were greeted at the studio by our RollingForAutism PR princess, Amanda Silvestri. Over the course of the trip, Amanda has been extremely instrumental in arranging many media appearances. Visibly nervous and excited for our big day, Amanda lead us into the studio where we took a seat next to "The World's Tallest Man." As RollingForAutism's shortest skater, I felt even more vertically challenged seated next to the 7'8" monster.
Our appearance was brief, but effective. We skated circles around the shows 4 hosts, as they spoke of our efforts. Footage was shown of us skating on the road from North Carolina, and our website was linked to ABC's.
Immediately after the appearance, we decided that we missed an opportunity to create additional attention. If Streich had fallen on the set, tripping Diane Sawyer...our media exposure would've increased drastically. Regardless, our website received tons of hits from across the country immediately after the show, and donations continue to come in at a steady pace.
Our week ended with a barbecue last night with families from the New Jersey area impacted by Autism. Special guest appearances were made by New Jersey Devil Hockey Players, and foot long hot dogs and burgers were donated by Sodexho. A good time was had by all.
We owe Linda and Mark a huge thank you for their hospitality. It takes two brave and generous souls to host 12 college students.
Party at BarXII in NYC tonight. Hope to see everyone out!
Cheers,
Dan T.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Rolling at the Timothy School
Yesterday we had the privelege of visiting the Timothy School located in Berwyn, Pennsylvania. The Timothy School specializes in educational programs which address the strengths and needs of each student in the areas of cognitive, motor, communication, social and sensory development. Although the school serves children diagnosed with autism or pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), our day with the students was all about having fun and putting the children first.
Upon arrival the RFA team met the enthusiastic staff and watched a touching video about the various programs offered at the Timothy School. After this informative meeting the RFA team once again menatlly prepared for an afternoon of skating. However, this skating session was unlike the physically gruelling, mentally challenging skates endured by the team over the last six weeks. Upon entering the gym and meeting the students, our sore legs, blistered heals, and fatigued mental states quickly disapated. As we helped the children strap on their rollerskates and pads we quickly realized that our personal ailments took a back seat to these truelly remarkable kids. Their excitement filled the room and before we knew it they were flying around showing the RFA team what real skating is all about. They smiled when they learned that they could succeed at propelling themselves around the gym. They laughed when they realized it really didn't hurt that bad when they fell. They smiled again when they understood that they had the ability to get up after they fell and try again. Most importantly these children transferred their energy to our staff and reinforced our belief that children with autism are just that, children, and that autism does not define them. What defines them are their heart warming smiles, their unique ability to touch those around them, and their individuality. Our day at the Timothy School flew by and it was hours before any of us began to think about the hundreds of miles left to skate as we make our way to Maine. Thanks to all the members of the Timothy School staff for giving us the opportunity to interact with your wonderful students, we look forward to working with you and your organization in the very near future.
Just a reminder that we will be making our national television debut tomorrow morning on Good Morning America between 830 and 900 a.m. We look forward to encouraging viewers across the nation to get involved with autism and support our cause. We look forward to all of your comments on how we did!
Oh no, Barry Bonds just hit number 756 to break Hank Aaron's all-time home run record, let's hope we don't get bumped from tomorrow mornings show in light of this new milestone in sports history...oh well, I'm off to bed before tomorrow mornings big show.
Blessings-a-plenty,
Carson S.
p.s- Happy 65th wedding anniversary to my grandparents Lois and Fred Heinlen...I appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you guys after our trip!
Upon arrival the RFA team met the enthusiastic staff and watched a touching video about the various programs offered at the Timothy School. After this informative meeting the RFA team once again menatlly prepared for an afternoon of skating. However, this skating session was unlike the physically gruelling, mentally challenging skates endured by the team over the last six weeks. Upon entering the gym and meeting the students, our sore legs, blistered heals, and fatigued mental states quickly disapated. As we helped the children strap on their rollerskates and pads we quickly realized that our personal ailments took a back seat to these truelly remarkable kids. Their excitement filled the room and before we knew it they were flying around showing the RFA team what real skating is all about. They smiled when they learned that they could succeed at propelling themselves around the gym. They laughed when they realized it really didn't hurt that bad when they fell. They smiled again when they understood that they had the ability to get up after they fell and try again. Most importantly these children transferred their energy to our staff and reinforced our belief that children with autism are just that, children, and that autism does not define them. What defines them are their heart warming smiles, their unique ability to touch those around them, and their individuality. Our day at the Timothy School flew by and it was hours before any of us began to think about the hundreds of miles left to skate as we make our way to Maine. Thanks to all the members of the Timothy School staff for giving us the opportunity to interact with your wonderful students, we look forward to working with you and your organization in the very near future.
Just a reminder that we will be making our national television debut tomorrow morning on Good Morning America between 830 and 900 a.m. We look forward to encouraging viewers across the nation to get involved with autism and support our cause. We look forward to all of your comments on how we did!
Oh no, Barry Bonds just hit number 756 to break Hank Aaron's all-time home run record, let's hope we don't get bumped from tomorrow mornings show in light of this new milestone in sports history...oh well, I'm off to bed before tomorrow mornings big show.
Blessings-a-plenty,
Carson S.
p.s- Happy 65th wedding anniversary to my grandparents Lois and Fred Heinlen...I appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you guys after our trip!
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Two Weeks to Go
Hi Everyone,
We are currently six weeks and around 1500 miles into our trip. While the first five weeks of the trip consisted of Carson, Orto, Streich, and I blasting out as many miles as possible through the rural South, the last leg of our trip is taking on a different flavor. Our group of 4 has grown into 8 skaters. While our skating pace is certainly more relaxed with the new additions, the pace of our work off the road is increasing rapidly.
This week's schedule includes a visit to a school, a large party at a NYC bar, a family day at a zoo, an appearance on Good Morning America, and an visit to a group home. In between our daily activities, we will still be skating 40 miles a day. Lets hope our legs hold up for fourteen more days.
Lots to post tomorrow. In the meantime, dinner calls...
Cheers,
Dan T.
We are currently six weeks and around 1500 miles into our trip. While the first five weeks of the trip consisted of Carson, Orto, Streich, and I blasting out as many miles as possible through the rural South, the last leg of our trip is taking on a different flavor. Our group of 4 has grown into 8 skaters. While our skating pace is certainly more relaxed with the new additions, the pace of our work off the road is increasing rapidly.
This week's schedule includes a visit to a school, a large party at a NYC bar, a family day at a zoo, an appearance on Good Morning America, and an visit to a group home. In between our daily activities, we will still be skating 40 miles a day. Lets hope our legs hold up for fourteen more days.
Lots to post tomorrow. In the meantime, dinner calls...
Cheers,
Dan T.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
At the Birthplace of Babe Ruth, Baltimore
The RFA team arrived in the Baltimore area after a relaxing afternoon at only our third house of the trip. The Bowles family, of Columbia, Maryland, was gracious enough to allow us to stay at their home for the evening and enjoy the amenities of a good home cooked meal for a change. Being a dog person myself, I had the pleasure of playing with their dog Elmo who has one obsession, tennis balls. He will chase the ball wherever it may go, even if it involves him going for a swim across the deep end of the pool to get it. While enjoying the surroundings of the Bowles household, I enjoyed watching Carson get badly beaten by Elaine at tennis while Striker and Tatar got some computer work done inside the house. After their tennis match, I decided to try my luck at tennis with Carson and realized beyond any reasonable doubt that tennis is NOT my sport and I know to stay away from the tennis courts from now on.
The next morning was one of the more confusing mornings since the trip began because we couldn’t find exactly where the trail connecting Annapolis and Baltimore began. The guys initially began heading in what we thought was the correct direction, but proved to be completely the wrong direction. Instead of heading towards Baltimore, we began heading towards Annapolis and the U.S. Naval Academy. I have to admit, even though we didn’t stay long in Annapolis, I thought it was one of the nicer cities we have traveled through. So after we realized our error or direction, we turned around and headed back to the starting point and headed in the correct direction along a bike path that connected the two cities. We even had the distinct pleasure of watching Vicky skate for the first time in her 5 days with us. It was hot day, reaching up into the mid-90’s and the skaters were all exhausted and sweaty when they finished up the thirty plus miles that they racked up on the day.
We then drove from the point on the path where we parked the cars into downtown Baltimore to go to the hotel. We drove past M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore Ravens) and Camden Yards (Baltimore Orioles) to get to our hotel, which was about two blocks away from the latter. After checking into the hotel and getting everything settled in, we showered up and Strike, Carson, and myself headed to the local Mexican food place for some burritos. While there, however, Carson and I decided to sample some of the thirty or so varieties of hot sauce that were there. Needless to say, I didn’t taste much of my dinner after that since my taste buds were spent after the hot sauce shocking. Some meandering around the hotel, seeing the sights, and taking in the ambiance of the inner harbor in Baltimore followed dinner. Being as tired as I was from the day’s events, I opted to call it a night early and relaxed while watching “Good Will Hunting” (one of my favorites movies of all time).
Just an update for everybody out there reading the blog, we are going to be on Good Morning America next Wednesday morning.
Keep on reading
Jason O.
The next morning was one of the more confusing mornings since the trip began because we couldn’t find exactly where the trail connecting Annapolis and Baltimore began. The guys initially began heading in what we thought was the correct direction, but proved to be completely the wrong direction. Instead of heading towards Baltimore, we began heading towards Annapolis and the U.S. Naval Academy. I have to admit, even though we didn’t stay long in Annapolis, I thought it was one of the nicer cities we have traveled through. So after we realized our error or direction, we turned around and headed back to the starting point and headed in the correct direction along a bike path that connected the two cities. We even had the distinct pleasure of watching Vicky skate for the first time in her 5 days with us. It was hot day, reaching up into the mid-90’s and the skaters were all exhausted and sweaty when they finished up the thirty plus miles that they racked up on the day.
We then drove from the point on the path where we parked the cars into downtown Baltimore to go to the hotel. We drove past M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore Ravens) and Camden Yards (Baltimore Orioles) to get to our hotel, which was about two blocks away from the latter. After checking into the hotel and getting everything settled in, we showered up and Strike, Carson, and myself headed to the local Mexican food place for some burritos. While there, however, Carson and I decided to sample some of the thirty or so varieties of hot sauce that were there. Needless to say, I didn’t taste much of my dinner after that since my taste buds were spent after the hot sauce shocking. Some meandering around the hotel, seeing the sights, and taking in the ambiance of the inner harbor in Baltimore followed dinner. Being as tired as I was from the day’s events, I opted to call it a night early and relaxed while watching “Good Will Hunting” (one of my favorites movies of all time).
Just an update for everybody out there reading the blog, we are going to be on Good Morning America next Wednesday morning.
Keep on reading
Jason O.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Sean's Big Day Part Two
As you may remember Sean's first big day of our trip was his birthday which we celebrated in Raleigh North Carloina. Well, today was his second big day. Team RFA was fortunate enough to visit CSAAC, Community Services for Autistic Adults and Children, in Montgomery County, Maryland. Upon arrival the six of us were invited to play BINGO with a group of students in one of the CSAAC classrooms...It was in this arena that Sean shined proving his dominate BINGO skills. The first few games were won by students with Autism who responded with enthusiasm and ear to ear smiles. The next three rounds were dominated by none other than our own Sean Streich. Not only did he win, he dominated the field. As much as I would enjoy bashing Sean and portraying him as an ungraceful champion, I must point out the fact that Sean only claimed two out of his three victories. A little embarassed by his streak of goodluck, after his third win Sean smoothly slid his board in front of Pedro, one of the CSAAC students. Pedro's face lit up when Sean informed him that they won the round of BINGO as a team. Pedro and Sean then picked out a yellow balloon as their prize. Although most people assumed they chose yellow because it matched Pedro's hat, the other five RFA team members knew that the real reason is that yellow is the color of Sean's lucky stuffed animal that he brought with him on the trip.
On a serious note, we had a great time meeting the dedicated staff and enthusiastic students in the CSAAC family. We thoroughly enjoyed our day and were impressed by all CSAAC is doing for those in the Autism community. To learn more about CSAAC and their many great programs check out their website at www.csaac.org.
After we finished with lunch and a tour of CSAAC we hit the road and skated 35 miles towards Baltimore. Although we are getting useto the grind of skating 30-40 miles a day, the hills of Maryland proved to be quite the challenge. The entire skate consisted of tough climbs followed by exhilirating downhills. As many of you may know, this constant change of pace and intensity make 5 miles seem like 10. As we forced our burning legs to propel us up the hills we could not help but draw inspiration from those individuals we saw smiling just hours earlier at CSAAC.
Also, I would like to give a special thanks to Mike Hickey, president of the American Special Hockey Association, for taking the six of us out for dinner tonight. We (well I cant say the same for the girls) enjoyed talking hockey and learning more about the ASHA. We look forward to working with you and the ASHA for the remainder of our trip and beyond. Thanks Mike!
Off to bed...check back tomorrow
Best Wishes,
Carson S.
On a serious note, we had a great time meeting the dedicated staff and enthusiastic students in the CSAAC family. We thoroughly enjoyed our day and were impressed by all CSAAC is doing for those in the Autism community. To learn more about CSAAC and their many great programs check out their website at www.csaac.org.
After we finished with lunch and a tour of CSAAC we hit the road and skated 35 miles towards Baltimore. Although we are getting useto the grind of skating 30-40 miles a day, the hills of Maryland proved to be quite the challenge. The entire skate consisted of tough climbs followed by exhilirating downhills. As many of you may know, this constant change of pace and intensity make 5 miles seem like 10. As we forced our burning legs to propel us up the hills we could not help but draw inspiration from those individuals we saw smiling just hours earlier at CSAAC.
Also, I would like to give a special thanks to Mike Hickey, president of the American Special Hockey Association, for taking the six of us out for dinner tonight. We (well I cant say the same for the girls) enjoyed talking hockey and learning more about the ASHA. We look forward to working with you and the ASHA for the remainder of our trip and beyond. Thanks Mike!
Off to bed...check back tomorrow
Best Wishes,
Carson S.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
RFA hits our nations capital
After a 7 and a half hour car ride from Clifton Park, NY, Vicki Kohan and I joined the boys to begin our RollingForAutism adventure. Hungry from the road, we were lucky enough to have a great dinner prepared for us by John and Arlene the aunt and uncle of the boys’ good friend, Janelle from Union College. Janelle and her neice, Leah, came all the way from upstate NY to join us. Dinner was spectacular, and so was the company. Thank you for all your support!
Unfortunately that evening, we only had one hotel room; Carson and Streich were kind enough to let us girls take one of the two beds while they slept in blankets on the floor (thanks guys!). We let ourselves sleep in until about 10 AM to begin our a 30 mile skate in Northern Virginia. Vicki is a beginner skater, and hopefully with practice, she'll join us on the road. In the meantime, she has put in a great deal of time doing behind the scenes work for RFA. The first day of skating was very humid at about a scorching 96 degrees, which made the afternoon tough. After only 5 miles I was too tired to continue...I don’t know how the boys did it in the South.
Later that day we met with members of the Washington Area Rollerskating (WAR) group. Due to rain, we were unable to go for a skate, but we did chat over pizza and beer at the Froggy Bottom Pub. Later that night, a Union Hockey teammate of the boys, “Pudge”, was nice enough to invite us to stay for the night at his parents house. Thank you, John and Rebecca, for a tasty home cooked meal and opening your house for the RFA team.
The next morning the weather was beautiful, so we embarked on a delightful rollerblading tour of our nations capital with the WAR skaters. It was a good thing we started around 9 AM because by 11 it was fairly hot and humid. WAR skaters participating were leader and great help, Bill English, also, Myeonghee, Tom and their daughter; George, Dan, and Greg. With Vicki, Janelle, and Leah on bikes we all were about the same pace. Only one fall for the day...Vicki had a graceful dismount off her bike going around a turn. Starting at the White House, we saw many monuments throughout the morning, including the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the Albert Einstein statue, the Kennedy Center, and several more. Overall, it was about a 12 mile tour around the city. Bill was brave enough to show us a few of his tricks on rollerblades…don’t worry, it will get to YouTube soon!
Life is a highway, I wanna skate it all night long,
Elaine L.
Unfortunately that evening, we only had one hotel room; Carson and Streich were kind enough to let us girls take one of the two beds while they slept in blankets on the floor (thanks guys!). We let ourselves sleep in until about 10 AM to begin our a 30 mile skate in Northern Virginia. Vicki is a beginner skater, and hopefully with practice, she'll join us on the road. In the meantime, she has put in a great deal of time doing behind the scenes work for RFA. The first day of skating was very humid at about a scorching 96 degrees, which made the afternoon tough. After only 5 miles I was too tired to continue...I don’t know how the boys did it in the South.
Later that day we met with members of the Washington Area Rollerskating (WAR) group. Due to rain, we were unable to go for a skate, but we did chat over pizza and beer at the Froggy Bottom Pub. Later that night, a Union Hockey teammate of the boys, “Pudge”, was nice enough to invite us to stay for the night at his parents house. Thank you, John and Rebecca, for a tasty home cooked meal and opening your house for the RFA team.
The next morning the weather was beautiful, so we embarked on a delightful rollerblading tour of our nations capital with the WAR skaters. It was a good thing we started around 9 AM because by 11 it was fairly hot and humid. WAR skaters participating were leader and great help, Bill English, also, Myeonghee, Tom and their daughter; George, Dan, and Greg. With Vicki, Janelle, and Leah on bikes we all were about the same pace. Only one fall for the day...Vicki had a graceful dismount off her bike going around a turn. Starting at the White House, we saw many monuments throughout the morning, including the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the Albert Einstein statue, the Kennedy Center, and several more. Overall, it was about a 12 mile tour around the city. Bill was brave enough to show us a few of his tricks on rollerblades…don’t worry, it will get to YouTube soon!
Life is a highway, I wanna skate it all night long,
Elaine L.
A Day with the American Special Hockey Association
The crew of 6 woke up with a smile today as we had the day off from skating. More importantly, we were excited to spend the day at the Garden Ice House in Laurel, Maryland to meet up with some parents and players of affiliated with the American Special Hockey Association.
After a nice lunch and some quality meet and great time with several families, we headed downstairs to the ice rink and strappede on some ice skates. Some of you may already understand the differences in the techniques used to ice skate and rollerblade, but for those that may be unfamiliar, the difference can be significant.
After rollerblading almost a thousand miles you get comfortable using the front wheel that extends in front of the skate, and you start to change your stride accordingly. More specifically, you tend to lean forward to utilize the extra support in the front of the skate. Ice skates don't have this support... and when you lean too far forward, you land on your face. It is safe to say, we pretty much did our first lap of the rink looking like a bunch of amateurs. I'm sure some parents were confused and must've thought that it was some kind of joke that we played division 1 college ice hockey.
The skate was a blast and we had a great time skating and hanging out with players and coaches from the American Special Hockey Association. We all feel extremely fortunate to be able to attend some of these great events and meet so many speical families and children. The committment these parents and coaches show to their children and the cause is truly an inspiration for all of us.
Tomorrow, we will visit the Maryland's center for Community Services for Autistic Adults and Children. After our visit, back on the road for another 40 miles!
Bests,
Sean S.
After a nice lunch and some quality meet and great time with several families, we headed downstairs to the ice rink and strappede on some ice skates. Some of you may already understand the differences in the techniques used to ice skate and rollerblade, but for those that may be unfamiliar, the difference can be significant.
After rollerblading almost a thousand miles you get comfortable using the front wheel that extends in front of the skate, and you start to change your stride accordingly. More specifically, you tend to lean forward to utilize the extra support in the front of the skate. Ice skates don't have this support... and when you lean too far forward, you land on your face. It is safe to say, we pretty much did our first lap of the rink looking like a bunch of amateurs. I'm sure some parents were confused and must've thought that it was some kind of joke that we played division 1 college ice hockey.
The skate was a blast and we had a great time skating and hanging out with players and coaches from the American Special Hockey Association. We all feel extremely fortunate to be able to attend some of these great events and meet so many speical families and children. The committment these parents and coaches show to their children and the cause is truly an inspiration for all of us.
Tomorrow, we will visit the Maryland's center for Community Services for Autistic Adults and Children. After our visit, back on the road for another 40 miles!
Bests,
Sean S.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Virginia is for Lovers and Rollerbladers
Early this morning we said goodbye to Richmond and the beautiful downtown Marriot Hotel, as we strapped the skates back on and began our journey towards Washington, DC. We skated 35 miles on some back roads between Richmond and our destination for the day, Ruther Glen. Today turned out to be the coolest skate (temperature wise, mid 70's) of the trip to date.
The most eventful aspect of today's skate was the few big trucks that cruised by with some terrible fumes coming from their load. As northerners, we are still uncertain exactly what is contained in these trucks, but locals tell us they carry pigs and chickens...and subsequently, their droppings. Although the odor almost knocked us on our backs, we've faced this adversity before, and were able to push forward to continue the skate.
During our skates we keep tabs of any comments that come from passing vehicles. While Carson and I were warming up our legs early in the skate, a car passed by with a slight swerve. Upon inspection, I noticed it was a woman with two children in the back seat. As she passed, the visibly angry woman proceeded to lean out of her window and tell us in an angry tone that we "Should get a car!". It is arguable as to whether this comment ranks up there as a top pick, nonetheless Carson and I got a little chuckle from it.
Dan and Jason maintained a solid pace throughout the day and I will indulge our readers in some new information from the skates. Dan and Jason both enjoy the social aspect of skating. During the skate today the two were overheard testing each others musical knowledge. I've quickly learned that we all have our routines that help us get through a tough days skate.
It's almost time for dinner and maybe some cake but it might be an early night for the troops as we have another long skate planned for tomorrow. We'd like to welcome two additional skaters and recent college graduates tomorrow...Vicki Kohan from Syracuse University and Elaine Lambrinos from the University of Vermont.
Yours in skating,
Sean S.
The most eventful aspect of today's skate was the few big trucks that cruised by with some terrible fumes coming from their load. As northerners, we are still uncertain exactly what is contained in these trucks, but locals tell us they carry pigs and chickens...and subsequently, their droppings. Although the odor almost knocked us on our backs, we've faced this adversity before, and were able to push forward to continue the skate.
During our skates we keep tabs of any comments that come from passing vehicles. While Carson and I were warming up our legs early in the skate, a car passed by with a slight swerve. Upon inspection, I noticed it was a woman with two children in the back seat. As she passed, the visibly angry woman proceeded to lean out of her window and tell us in an angry tone that we "Should get a car!". It is arguable as to whether this comment ranks up there as a top pick, nonetheless Carson and I got a little chuckle from it.
Dan and Jason maintained a solid pace throughout the day and I will indulge our readers in some new information from the skates. Dan and Jason both enjoy the social aspect of skating. During the skate today the two were overheard testing each others musical knowledge. I've quickly learned that we all have our routines that help us get through a tough days skate.
It's almost time for dinner and maybe some cake but it might be an early night for the troops as we have another long skate planned for tomorrow. We'd like to welcome two additional skaters and recent college graduates tomorrow...Vicki Kohan from Syracuse University and Elaine Lambrinos from the University of Vermont.
Yours in skating,
Sean S.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
A Visit From the 10th Wonder of the World
July 21st began no differently than any other day, except for the prompt wake up by Tatar saying, "Guys get up; we have to be out of here in like 25 minutes." With that simple message, we jumped out of bed, got some food and quickly got ready for our visit to the Commonwealth Autism Society (Richmond, VA) and sat down with them. We picked apart the mind of John Toscano about the business aspect of fundraising for a while. Afterwards, we followed John over to the St. Josephs Villa for children in Richmond, where they have over 600 children they service, whether it is an after school program for children or programs aimed at children with mental disabilities. We toured the grounds of the villa for a bit and were all reenergized about our cause when we saw the smiles across the childrens' faces. One child in particular, George, felt it necessary to have us continually race through the parking lot. After breaking a good sweat, we went to a local Italian restaurant, Mary Angela's Pizza Subs, where John purchased our dinner for the night.
We then went to the hotel and checked into the downtown Marriot hotel, which was donated to us graciously by Peter and Marti Cawley. Realizing that it was starting to get late we opted to relax at the hotel, needing to rest the legs. Early in the day, however, I received an unexpected phone call from some friends from college, including the “10th Wonder of the World Todd Marsh” (Ben Tatar, Spring 2007). The guys ended up rolling into Richmond at about 8:30. They were just passing through to Wilmington, NC and knew we were be on their way down, so they decided to come join us for dinner. At dinner, and afterwards, we shared tales about our journey with the guys, ranging from the dog chases in Georgia to the vast hills of North Carolina. The guys stayed with us for the night and departed early from the hotel. The Rolling for Autism team, instead, opted to remain in bed and rest on our day off from skating, looking forward to continuing the northward trip tomorrow. As for now, time to get down to doing some work and making some phone calls. Keep reading on and we’ll be sure to keep updating everybody about our trip.
Jason O.
We then went to the hotel and checked into the downtown Marriot hotel, which was donated to us graciously by Peter and Marti Cawley. Realizing that it was starting to get late we opted to relax at the hotel, needing to rest the legs. Early in the day, however, I received an unexpected phone call from some friends from college, including the “10th Wonder of the World Todd Marsh” (Ben Tatar, Spring 2007). The guys ended up rolling into Richmond at about 8:30. They were just passing through to Wilmington, NC and knew we were be on their way down, so they decided to come join us for dinner. At dinner, and afterwards, we shared tales about our journey with the guys, ranging from the dog chases in Georgia to the vast hills of North Carolina. The guys stayed with us for the night and departed early from the hotel. The Rolling for Autism team, instead, opted to remain in bed and rest on our day off from skating, looking forward to continuing the northward trip tomorrow. As for now, time to get down to doing some work and making some phone calls. Keep reading on and we’ll be sure to keep updating everybody about our trip.
Jason O.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
"Ya'll be careful of them bears"
Hi All,
Our tour north continued today as we skated through rural Virginia. The scenery was pleasant skating alongside acres of tobacco fields, cow pastures, and farmland. We even managed to meet a bull with two large baseball bat sized horns. While all of us were a little timid by the 800 pound animal, I quickly recalled from my cartoon days that bulls have a natural attraction to red. Consequently, catching the bull's eye was Carson's bright red shirt. The bull crept towards us with a glimmer in its eye as it neared Carson. Realizing this bull was far bigger and more fierce than all of the other large, dangerous bulls Carson has previously encountered, we quickly jumped in the van and drove to safety.
Our skate ended after a grueling 35 miles. Today concluded a whopping 125 miles in only three days, and the only way to truly reward such effort is through our weekly tradition, "cheat day". For those of you that are not up to date on our blog, every Sunday we take a day off from our strict "rollerbladers' diet," and eat fast food. All of the boys indulge on this tradition (except Carson who wore his skirt to Wendy's tonight and ate a salad) by feasting on Wendy's infamous Baconator Sandwich...and the 1600 calories that came with it.
Packed day tomorrow in Richmond. Time for some sleep.
Cheers,
Dan T.
Our tour north continued today as we skated through rural Virginia. The scenery was pleasant skating alongside acres of tobacco fields, cow pastures, and farmland. We even managed to meet a bull with two large baseball bat sized horns. While all of us were a little timid by the 800 pound animal, I quickly recalled from my cartoon days that bulls have a natural attraction to red. Consequently, catching the bull's eye was Carson's bright red shirt. The bull crept towards us with a glimmer in its eye as it neared Carson. Realizing this bull was far bigger and more fierce than all of the other large, dangerous bulls Carson has previously encountered, we quickly jumped in the van and drove to safety.
Our skate ended after a grueling 35 miles. Today concluded a whopping 125 miles in only three days, and the only way to truly reward such effort is through our weekly tradition, "cheat day". For those of you that are not up to date on our blog, every Sunday we take a day off from our strict "rollerbladers' diet," and eat fast food. All of the boys indulge on this tradition (except Carson who wore his skirt to Wendy's tonight and ate a salad) by feasting on Wendy's infamous Baconator Sandwich...and the 1600 calories that came with it.
Packed day tomorrow in Richmond. Time for some sleep.
Cheers,
Dan T.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Dad, aka "Neilster", Joins The Crew
Flying in to Raleigh on Tuesday, I rented a car and met up with the guys "somewhere" along Highway 401, between Fayettville and Raleigh. My first impression of the trip was to take note of the wonderful scenery in rural North Carolina, travelling along back roads and past tobacco farms. It was also quite apparent to me that the physical effort these guys are putting forth is truly amazing....roller blading on rough, hilly terrain in southern heat and humidity. Deciding to take the "air conditioned" drivers seat was a wise decision for me! The week was full of activity, including a few appearances in the community. We met with folks from Creative Living, a day program that places emphasis on arts and crafts, and has an adult population, and we also graced the floor @ Jelly Beans, a roller rink that had us showing our "moves". My moves were primarily focused on staying up on my skates (which I did).Throughout the week, I was impressed with how grateful folks were to meet the guys, and it is obvious that the underlying message being spread by Rolling For Autism is one of community building - bringing people together and offering a positive spin on challenging situations. One only needs to experience the smile of a young child and the warmth shown by the parents to truly see why this is worth such an effort. Returning home Friday morning, I am struck with the desire to get back on the road again!
Friday, July 20, 2007
The Fellas Work on Their Curves
After a quick skate in blistering 97 degree heat, we headed to Henderson North Carolina where the owners of the local Curves, Kristie and Diane, put together a reception for the team. We were stunned when we pulled in the parking lot and saw a huge sign that read "Today at five come in and meet the Rolling for Autism team live in person." After a quick radio interview the guys had the opportunity to meet a very special young girl, the type of girl who makes all the tough days and long skates worthwhile. Breylen (sorry if I spelled that wrong which I'm 99% sure I did) is a 12 year old girl who was diagnosed with Aspergers. The second we arrived her big smile and overwhelmingly positive attitude allowed us to forget about our aching legs and blistered feet and reminded us why we are doing this. Jason and I were so energized we decided to jump into action and show all of those in attendance that despite the preconceived notions many have about Curves, it is not just a gym for women. We went through two complete cycles and soon realized that these women were no joke...In other words, Curves kicked our butts.
At the end of the reception Breylene (sorry again for the spelling) presented the four of us with medals and told us how much she appreciated what we are doing. Again, it is moments like these that keep us going. Thank you so much Breylene.
After the reception we had dinner with Breylene and the crew at a local restaurant. For a little while we forgot that we were on the road and felt as though we were part of the family. Thank you guys. After dinner we all went to the local movie theatre to watch a pre-screening of the new Adam Sandler movie. Although Breylene decided to join some of her friends to see another movie, which was probably a good idea because parts of the flick were a bit riske for a 12 year old, we had a great time and enjoyed the show.
Now we are back at the hotel and the other three are sound asleep, I'm sure dreaming of tomorrow mornings skate. I would go on but Dan's loud snoring is really screwing with my concentration. Thanks to all those in Henderson who mad us feel welcome, we really appreciate it and look forward to hearing form you. Good night, and check back tomorrow for more updates as we head into Virginia
Blessings-a-plenty,
Carson S.
At the end of the reception Breylene (sorry again for the spelling) presented the four of us with medals and told us how much she appreciated what we are doing. Again, it is moments like these that keep us going. Thank you so much Breylene.
After the reception we had dinner with Breylene and the crew at a local restaurant. For a little while we forgot that we were on the road and felt as though we were part of the family. Thank you guys. After dinner we all went to the local movie theatre to watch a pre-screening of the new Adam Sandler movie. Although Breylene decided to join some of her friends to see another movie, which was probably a good idea because parts of the flick were a bit riske for a 12 year old, we had a great time and enjoyed the show.
Now we are back at the hotel and the other three are sound asleep, I'm sure dreaming of tomorrow mornings skate. I would go on but Dan's loud snoring is really screwing with my concentration. Thanks to all those in Henderson who mad us feel welcome, we really appreciate it and look forward to hearing form you. Good night, and check back tomorrow for more updates as we head into Virginia
Blessings-a-plenty,
Carson S.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Sean's Big Day
We started the day off like any other day, with a relatively early wake up (about 9AM) and headed down for some breakfast before hitting the road. This morning, we realized, was when we were going to meet up with “The Neilster” (Dan’s dad) and that brought about an added sense of excitement about the group. We mapped out our route the night before and got ready to rock out on the pavement for our 40 mile day with the added pleasure of meeting up with “The Neilster”. Everybody, from the beginning of the trip until the other day, had warned us about the hills in North Carolina. Until today, we simply shrugged everything off as simply nonsense. Because of blister problems, Dan gave me the day off and I had the pleasure of watching the guys struggle up the rolling hills just south of Raleigh. Not only were the hills a challenge for the guys, but also the plethora of trucks driving on the road that didn’t slow down presented a challenge unto itself. After finding secondary roads to skate on, “The Neilster” joined us mid-skate and followed us around for the rest of the day on the road.
We were in quite the rush when we got checked into the hotel because we had to make a quick turn around to get to our dinner appointment at the TPC at Wakefield Plantation clubhouse. It was there that we indulged in a fantastic meal together on the eve of Streich’s birthday. We didn’t have much energy after that, but managed to find a way back to the hotel and relax quite nicely.
We awoke the next morning refreshed, not because of a good night’s sleep, but rather because we had a day off from skating. Another high energy day because it was Streich’s birthday (the BIG 2-5). “The Neilster” joined us this morning for a visit to Raleigh’s Center for Creative Living and observed how things went and saw nothing but good things, ranging from therapeutic music to creative art work that is absolutely beautiful. After that, we had enough time to check out of the hotel, grab a bite to eat, check into the next hotel, and finally get ready to skate at the Jellybeans roller skating arena. We then followed these activities up with a follow-up visit to the TPC at Wakefield Plantation for dinner. Tonight, it was time to celebrate Streich’s birthday and the dinner at the clubhouse was only the beginning. After dinner, we found our way downtown to celebrate in Raleigh for Streich’s big day. Off to rest for the big skate tomorrow.
Jason O.
We were in quite the rush when we got checked into the hotel because we had to make a quick turn around to get to our dinner appointment at the TPC at Wakefield Plantation clubhouse. It was there that we indulged in a fantastic meal together on the eve of Streich’s birthday. We didn’t have much energy after that, but managed to find a way back to the hotel and relax quite nicely.
We awoke the next morning refreshed, not because of a good night’s sleep, but rather because we had a day off from skating. Another high energy day because it was Streich’s birthday (the BIG 2-5). “The Neilster” joined us this morning for a visit to Raleigh’s Center for Creative Living and observed how things went and saw nothing but good things, ranging from therapeutic music to creative art work that is absolutely beautiful. After that, we had enough time to check out of the hotel, grab a bite to eat, check into the next hotel, and finally get ready to skate at the Jellybeans roller skating arena. We then followed these activities up with a follow-up visit to the TPC at Wakefield Plantation for dinner. Tonight, it was time to celebrate Streich’s birthday and the dinner at the clubhouse was only the beginning. After dinner, we found our way downtown to celebrate in Raleigh for Streich’s big day. Off to rest for the big skate tomorrow.
Jason O.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Rallying towards Raleigh
Big doings with team RFA tonight, instead of the usual two guys to one undersized bed, the Innkeeper hotel here in Fayettville N.C was nice enough to donate two rooms with a combined four beds...as you can tell it doesn't take much to make us road hardened skaters happy. Although we will undoubtedly miss the camaraderie that comes with having four smelly hockey players turned rollerbladers in one room, the extra space is a welcome relief.
As for our skate today, all went off without a hitch until we hit mile 25 about 10 miles south of Fayettville. At that point we were hit with a smell that nearly became the cause of the trips first wipe outs. The putrid odor came at the hands of trucks carrying what must have been manur or rotting baby diapers. The first one caught Dan and I off guard and as the semi rolled by we were barely able to compose ourselves enough to continue the skate. Although that would not be the last of the rank smelling trucks we were able to better prepare ourselves for the next ones by pulling our shirts over our faces as soon as we saw them approach. The sweaty smell of our unwashed skating shirts was far preferable to that of the trucks. Despite the atrocious smell that was intensified by the 90 plus degree heat we pressed on and arrived in Fayettville around 2:00 pm. We then headed to Methodist College to pick up some food they were nice enough to donate.
Well its 11:00 pm and way past our bed time. Tomorrow we skate into Raleigh where we have numerous events planned and three scheduled TV appearances. Thanks again for all of your support. Stay tuned for more from the RFA team as we continue our mission to raise awareness and funds for those affected by Autism.
Blessings-a-plenty,
Carson S.
As for our skate today, all went off without a hitch until we hit mile 25 about 10 miles south of Fayettville. At that point we were hit with a smell that nearly became the cause of the trips first wipe outs. The putrid odor came at the hands of trucks carrying what must have been manur or rotting baby diapers. The first one caught Dan and I off guard and as the semi rolled by we were barely able to compose ourselves enough to continue the skate. Although that would not be the last of the rank smelling trucks we were able to better prepare ourselves for the next ones by pulling our shirts over our faces as soon as we saw them approach. The sweaty smell of our unwashed skating shirts was far preferable to that of the trucks. Despite the atrocious smell that was intensified by the 90 plus degree heat we pressed on and arrived in Fayettville around 2:00 pm. We then headed to Methodist College to pick up some food they were nice enough to donate.
Well its 11:00 pm and way past our bed time. Tomorrow we skate into Raleigh where we have numerous events planned and three scheduled TV appearances. Thanks again for all of your support. Stay tuned for more from the RFA team as we continue our mission to raise awareness and funds for those affected by Autism.
Blessings-a-plenty,
Carson S.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Today, aside from the 8 or 9 Doberman Pinschers that Dan and I thought were going to chase us followed closely by the three German Shepherds sitting in front of the house across the street, the skate was relatively uneventful. It wasn't a terribly hot afternoon, but the humidity was very high again today. We got our first taste of the rolling hills of North Carolina today. Though they were no extreme mountains to overcome, but the steady inclines proved to be difficult nonetheless as our pace (Dan and my own especially) slacked off tremendously. Today's skate carried us through the backroads between Wilington and Elizabethtown, North Carolina and they were relatively easy to skate on with little traffic. Dan and I also managed to skate by a vicious looking fowl eating a snake carcass and startled us both because we originally thought it was nothing more than trash on the side of the road.
We pounded out 35 miles on the pavement today and finished this sunday with a "cheat day" on the diet. Not having eaten much today, the guys opted for a much-needed MacDonalds meal while I chose to walk up the street to the local Italian restaurant and ate a delicious grilled chicken sandwich instead. We are now relaxing around the hotel, working out a bit (abs, push ups, etc.), and going to watch a movie for the evening and go to bed soon. I have to go shower up now, but we'll catch up with everyone tomorrow. We would like to thank everybody for their support thus far and hope people continue their support throughout the remainder of our adventure.
Jason O.
We pounded out 35 miles on the pavement today and finished this sunday with a "cheat day" on the diet. Not having eaten much today, the guys opted for a much-needed MacDonalds meal while I chose to walk up the street to the local Italian restaurant and ate a delicious grilled chicken sandwich instead. We are now relaxing around the hotel, working out a bit (abs, push ups, etc.), and going to watch a movie for the evening and go to bed soon. I have to go shower up now, but we'll catch up with everyone tomorrow. We would like to thank everybody for their support thus far and hope people continue their support throughout the remainder of our adventure.
Jason O.
Friday, July 13, 2007
State #4, North Carolina
Good evening,
Yesterday, we took our first day off of the trip to give our legs and body a rest. Consequently, I have little to report since we spent the entire day in bed. I don't think Carson woke up until four in the afternoon...
Today, we were back on the road, covering thirty-five miles in the back roads of rural North Carolina. Today's skate was great, as there was relatively little traffic on the roads and many of them were recently paved. Additionally, our legs were fresh from our day off, and we were quick to cover all of our mileage. We probably would've stayed on our skates all day if it were not for our 3:30 television interview in Wilmington, NC.
Our events in the North are starting to come together. I dont want to jinx anything, and I know I shouldnt say this, but....We are 500 miles into the skate and no one has fallen yet.
Check back for tomorrow's blog to hear about my fall/crash.
Bests,
Dan T.
Yesterday, we took our first day off of the trip to give our legs and body a rest. Consequently, I have little to report since we spent the entire day in bed. I don't think Carson woke up until four in the afternoon...
Today, we were back on the road, covering thirty-five miles in the back roads of rural North Carolina. Today's skate was great, as there was relatively little traffic on the roads and many of them were recently paved. Additionally, our legs were fresh from our day off, and we were quick to cover all of our mileage. We probably would've stayed on our skates all day if it were not for our 3:30 television interview in Wilmington, NC.
Our events in the North are starting to come together. I dont want to jinx anything, and I know I shouldnt say this, but....We are 500 miles into the skate and no one has fallen yet.
Check back for tomorrow's blog to hear about my fall/crash.
Bests,
Dan T.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Busy Busy
Wednesday began early, with a 5:40 wakeup call for our early morning skate. Our day was action packed, so we wisely decided to skate early avoiding the 100 plus degree weather. We finished our skate before 10:30, packed our bags, and checked out of the hotel, as we were thrilled to have the opportunity to visit some kids at the Richards Program.
We arrived a few minutes before noon and were warmly received by the kids and staff. Starving from the skate, we were immidiately thankful that the staff set out an incredible lunch that we devoured. I think Carson set the record with five full plates. After lunch, the kids were anxious for some physical exercise so we went to a gym a couple miles down the street.
Basketball was the game of choice for the kids, and there was one young fellow that perfected the hook shot. Oh baby, I think he made nearly 10 in a row...it was awesome to see the excitement in his face. The kids were amazed as Jason showed off his slam dunking skills. Dan tried to do the same, but unfortunatley, he wasn't able to copy the dunk with the same ease as Jason. The activity quickly shifted from basketball to dancing. Dan captured the dance floor action with our video camera as the kids, staff, Carson, and I performed the "Cha Cha" dance. It was amazing to see the smiles on the faces of both the kids and the staff, everyone was having a great time and the kids had an afternoon to remember. One of the kids remarked to his aid, "Today is a great day." Our visit, and a fun filled afternoon came to an end with a game of musical chairs.
After a couple hours of work we decided to hit the beach for an hour, a luxury that we will soon miss when we start heading west towards Raleigh, North Carolina.
Today we have a much needed day off to relax and rest our bodies before skating out early friday morning. Please keep sending us messages, we love reading your comments after a tough skate.
Yours in skating,
Sean S.
We arrived a few minutes before noon and were warmly received by the kids and staff. Starving from the skate, we were immidiately thankful that the staff set out an incredible lunch that we devoured. I think Carson set the record with five full plates. After lunch, the kids were anxious for some physical exercise so we went to a gym a couple miles down the street.
Basketball was the game of choice for the kids, and there was one young fellow that perfected the hook shot. Oh baby, I think he made nearly 10 in a row...it was awesome to see the excitement in his face. The kids were amazed as Jason showed off his slam dunking skills. Dan tried to do the same, but unfortunatley, he wasn't able to copy the dunk with the same ease as Jason. The activity quickly shifted from basketball to dancing. Dan captured the dance floor action with our video camera as the kids, staff, Carson, and I performed the "Cha Cha" dance. It was amazing to see the smiles on the faces of both the kids and the staff, everyone was having a great time and the kids had an afternoon to remember. One of the kids remarked to his aid, "Today is a great day." Our visit, and a fun filled afternoon came to an end with a game of musical chairs.
After a couple hours of work we decided to hit the beach for an hour, a luxury that we will soon miss when we start heading west towards Raleigh, North Carolina.
Today we have a much needed day off to relax and rest our bodies before skating out early friday morning. Please keep sending us messages, we love reading your comments after a tough skate.
Yours in skating,
Sean S.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
101 Farenheit
Hi Folks,
Well I think the story of today is the heat. Over the past two days, our pace has been swift too say the least, as we covered nearly 80 miles. Other than a few snakes and a quick rainstorm, the skates were quite uneventful.
Today's heat was an event in itself. Carson and I started the skate just north of Georgetown, South Carolina. While the first two miles proved to be quick and easy, I noticed myself drinking my water at a gold medal marathon runner like pace over the next two miles. I continued my skate, and for the first time of the trip, I was really tired and drained from the heat. When my turn came to drive 10 miles later, I was excited to jump in our bright red van. With two Gatorades in my hand, I got behind the wheel, and there it was....101 degrees. Boy were we in for a test.
Now, sitting behind your computer, you aren't truly getting a clear picture of rollerblading in 101 degree weather, not to mention the humidity found in the South. Well, if you want an idea, I suggest finding the nearest sauna. Crank that puppy on high. Now, put on some gear; a helmet, full clothes, rollerblades, and a backpack with about 30 pounds worth of weights. Next, do jumping jacks in that sauna, in full gear for the next 4 hours. That will give you a fair idea of today's skate.
Forunatly, we were rewarded for today's oven skate as we pulled into our hotel parking lot. The Holliday Inn in Surf City donated us a room with a balcony overlooking the beach for the night. Work hard, play hard.
To the college hockey fans following us on the USCHO Messageboard (Thanks Mr. Vadney for updating the crew and informing us of your interest). We challenge each of you to donate the price of a ticket to one regular season game to our cause. Please make a note of which team you support, so we can make a running list of what teams are represented by their fans. We'd like to see which team has the greatest representation. Thanks for the support as a college athlete, and thanks for the continued support in our new challenges.
Bests,
Dan T.
Well I think the story of today is the heat. Over the past two days, our pace has been swift too say the least, as we covered nearly 80 miles. Other than a few snakes and a quick rainstorm, the skates were quite uneventful.
Today's heat was an event in itself. Carson and I started the skate just north of Georgetown, South Carolina. While the first two miles proved to be quick and easy, I noticed myself drinking my water at a gold medal marathon runner like pace over the next two miles. I continued my skate, and for the first time of the trip, I was really tired and drained from the heat. When my turn came to drive 10 miles later, I was excited to jump in our bright red van. With two Gatorades in my hand, I got behind the wheel, and there it was....101 degrees. Boy were we in for a test.
Now, sitting behind your computer, you aren't truly getting a clear picture of rollerblading in 101 degree weather, not to mention the humidity found in the South. Well, if you want an idea, I suggest finding the nearest sauna. Crank that puppy on high. Now, put on some gear; a helmet, full clothes, rollerblades, and a backpack with about 30 pounds worth of weights. Next, do jumping jacks in that sauna, in full gear for the next 4 hours. That will give you a fair idea of today's skate.
Forunatly, we were rewarded for today's oven skate as we pulled into our hotel parking lot. The Holliday Inn in Surf City donated us a room with a balcony overlooking the beach for the night. Work hard, play hard.
To the college hockey fans following us on the USCHO Messageboard (Thanks Mr. Vadney for updating the crew and informing us of your interest). We challenge each of you to donate the price of a ticket to one regular season game to our cause. Please make a note of which team you support, so we can make a running list of what teams are represented by their fans. We'd like to see which team has the greatest representation. Thanks for the support as a college athlete, and thanks for the continued support in our new challenges.
Bests,
Dan T.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Greetings from Georgetown S.C. First off, on behalf of the Rolling for Autism team I would like to thank all of the great people in Charleston South Carolina who made us feel at home while in town. We appreciate your love and support more than you will ever know.
After sitting down to a quick breakfast we hit the road headed towards Georgetown. Although we planned to skate 40 miles on the day things got a bit slippery around mile 35. With Jason, Sean, and Dan on the road and myself behind the wheel of our beautiful red mini-van, we figured it would be a quick final 5 miles. This was hardly the case. I drove up three miles figuring I would check in with the boys and see if they needed anything. After three or four cars drove by with their lights on I decided to check the rear view mirror. I soon realized that an all out rain storm had quickly moved in. I couldn't help but chuckle as I turned the van around on a rescue mission. It just so happened that last night we forgot to charge our 2-way radios so the guys weren't able to call ahead and report their situation. Less than a mile back I saw the RFA team trying to push forward despite the flooding rain. After the guys told me how they felt about me leaving them in the rain they piled in the van and waited for the storm to subside. After finishing the skate we checked into our hotel room and after making a few phone calls we headed to Pawley Island for some quality beach time. This too would be interrupted when I spotted a fin protruding from the water just off shore. Although we were not sure whether it was a shark or a harmless dolphin, we were not daring enough to stick around and find out. We finished our day by enjoying some of the local cuisine and then retired to our hotel room to finish up some work and watch the MLB Home Run Derby.
With nearly 400 miles of our 2000 mile adventure complete, we look forward to our arrival in Myrtle Beach and making our way north. Although we are tired and a bit beat up after two weeks on the road we are inspired by all those in the Autism community who continue to support our efforts. Keep the posts coming they are greatly appreciated by all of the members of the RFA team.
All the best,
Carson
After sitting down to a quick breakfast we hit the road headed towards Georgetown. Although we planned to skate 40 miles on the day things got a bit slippery around mile 35. With Jason, Sean, and Dan on the road and myself behind the wheel of our beautiful red mini-van, we figured it would be a quick final 5 miles. This was hardly the case. I drove up three miles figuring I would check in with the boys and see if they needed anything. After three or four cars drove by with their lights on I decided to check the rear view mirror. I soon realized that an all out rain storm had quickly moved in. I couldn't help but chuckle as I turned the van around on a rescue mission. It just so happened that last night we forgot to charge our 2-way radios so the guys weren't able to call ahead and report their situation. Less than a mile back I saw the RFA team trying to push forward despite the flooding rain. After the guys told me how they felt about me leaving them in the rain they piled in the van and waited for the storm to subside. After finishing the skate we checked into our hotel room and after making a few phone calls we headed to Pawley Island for some quality beach time. This too would be interrupted when I spotted a fin protruding from the water just off shore. Although we were not sure whether it was a shark or a harmless dolphin, we were not daring enough to stick around and find out. We finished our day by enjoying some of the local cuisine and then retired to our hotel room to finish up some work and watch the MLB Home Run Derby.
With nearly 400 miles of our 2000 mile adventure complete, we look forward to our arrival in Myrtle Beach and making our way north. Although we are tired and a bit beat up after two weeks on the road we are inspired by all those in the Autism community who continue to support our efforts. Keep the posts coming they are greatly appreciated by all of the members of the RFA team.
All the best,
Carson
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Our Visit to the Ranch
Good Morning,
Yesterday's visit to the Charleston Area Therapeutic Horseback Riding Center gave us the chance to see an entirely new approach towards building the confidence of and physical rehabilitation for children with developmental disabilities.
Early yesterday morning, we set out to Johns Island to visit the Charleston Therapeutic Horseback Riding Center. We arrived at the enormous ranch about thirty minutes early, certainly dressed out of place with our flip flops for a couple of guys spending some time at a horse farm. Upon arrival, we were greeted by program director, Murray Neale who has quite the extensive backround in both riding, physical education, and therapy. We were also greeted by several dogs, but fortunatly, the intentions of these dogs were a little bit better than those we meet on the road.
Within minutes, a 10 year old boy, Tyler arrived for his first horseback riding lesson. While Murray prepared Tyler for his first ever ride, we helped the ranch hands prepare an enormous horse, "Rebel" to be ridden. Contrary to his name, Rebel was quite the easy tempered horse, and showed incredible patience as Tyler hesitantly began his first horseback riding lesson.
I guess the best way to describe the next series of events is to describe the beginning and the end...you can figure out the middle. When Tyler first approached Rebel, he was reluctant to pet the large horse. An hour later, Tyler was steering rebel through a course made up of four northern rollerbladers. The size of the smile on Tyler's face was huge...only rivaled by the size of the blister on Orto's heal from skating.
We also skated in some of the nastiest heat of the trip, appeared on Channel 5 news, and went out in Charleston last night. For details, shoot us an email.
Bests,
Dan T.
Yesterday's visit to the Charleston Area Therapeutic Horseback Riding Center gave us the chance to see an entirely new approach towards building the confidence of and physical rehabilitation for children with developmental disabilities.
Early yesterday morning, we set out to Johns Island to visit the Charleston Therapeutic Horseback Riding Center. We arrived at the enormous ranch about thirty minutes early, certainly dressed out of place with our flip flops for a couple of guys spending some time at a horse farm. Upon arrival, we were greeted by program director, Murray Neale who has quite the extensive backround in both riding, physical education, and therapy. We were also greeted by several dogs, but fortunatly, the intentions of these dogs were a little bit better than those we meet on the road.
Within minutes, a 10 year old boy, Tyler arrived for his first horseback riding lesson. While Murray prepared Tyler for his first ever ride, we helped the ranch hands prepare an enormous horse, "Rebel" to be ridden. Contrary to his name, Rebel was quite the easy tempered horse, and showed incredible patience as Tyler hesitantly began his first horseback riding lesson.
I guess the best way to describe the next series of events is to describe the beginning and the end...you can figure out the middle. When Tyler first approached Rebel, he was reluctant to pet the large horse. An hour later, Tyler was steering rebel through a course made up of four northern rollerbladers. The size of the smile on Tyler's face was huge...only rivaled by the size of the blister on Orto's heal from skating.
We also skated in some of the nastiest heat of the trip, appeared on Channel 5 news, and went out in Charleston last night. For details, shoot us an email.
Bests,
Dan T.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Friday Night from the Hotel...
It's 10:22 on a Friday Night and we are all in bed. Eighty miles of skating over the past two days certainly pays its toll on the body...not to mention the 94 degree heat, the humidity, and the golf ball sized mosquitos. Carson's knees hurt, Streich's shins hurt, my right calf hurts, and Orto's knees, hamstrings, heels, feet, back, glutes, and head hurt.
The emails and donations have really started to pick up over the past few days. Keep them coming. All of your letters, notes, emails, well wishes, and donations really pick up our spirits when the sun gets too hot or the hills get to steep.
We are visiting a therapeutic horseback riding ranch outside of Charleston tomorrow, so we should have some interesting stories to follow. Hopefully, we will be more successful riding the horses than Striech was riding the surfboard today.
A big thank you to the Heinlen family for dinner tonight and their hospitality.
Till next time,
Dan T.
The emails and donations have really started to pick up over the past few days. Keep them coming. All of your letters, notes, emails, well wishes, and donations really pick up our spirits when the sun gets too hot or the hills get to steep.
We are visiting a therapeutic horseback riding ranch outside of Charleston tomorrow, so we should have some interesting stories to follow. Hopefully, we will be more successful riding the horses than Striech was riding the surfboard today.
A big thank you to the Heinlen family for dinner tonight and their hospitality.
Till next time,
Dan T.
Rolling for Autism Comes to Dataw
After meeting up with Dan, Sean, Carson and Jason briefly in Savannah and Charleston I was excited to host them for the day at my mother's house on Dataw Island located just outside of Beaufort, South Carolina. They arrived shortly after 3pm having completed forty miles of rollerblading in 90 degree weather and humidity which some believe to be unbearable. After Dan polished off the entire plate of brownies my mother had baked for them the guys began the task of attacking the oversize laundry bag stuffed to the brim with dirty socks, under armour gear, and someone’s very special pair of orange underwear. With the multiple loads of laundry underway, we were off to the pool. A few curious residents came over to talk about their trip including a proud Union alum and a lady who may have taken a special interest in Carson, she may not have been Jenny McCarthy but I heard no complaints.
Although raising money for autism is the number one goal of this great adventure, apparently spotting an alligator was also on the top of the list of things to accomplish during their 2,000 miles. I hadn't been gator hunting for about three summers when I took the 4 and 7 year old brothers I was babysitting but I was happy to help out anyway I could. We left Jason to relieve his "two week golf itch," traded in their rollerblades for golf carts, and set off to find some gators. Our mission was a success. The first lagoon allowed Dan to play tough guy which entailed throwing pine cones at a gator, its size...about three feet long. With that baby alligator officially traumatized we figured it was better to move on and avoid a run in with its parents. However this did not stop any of us from trying out our luck with the creatures lurking around Dataw; for example when Sean did a little trespassing to get closer to another gator baby or when Carson offered up his shoe to allow for me to smack a gator in the face (why the only girl stood up to the challenge I’ll let the boys explain). Gators were the main attraction of our golf cart adventure however we made a little visit to rearrange some people’s crab traps, check out the marina and recklessly drive the golf carts into one another after which Carson announced he will never ride in a motor vehicle with me ever again. We found Jason on the golf course perfecting his swing and tried our best to distract him, which included Dan’s own PG-13 version of a sports fan streaking across the green, however Jason held strong.
Overall, Dan, Sean, Carson and Jason had a long and full day putting forth a tremendous effort on the road working for a great cause and I couldn’t have been happier having them join me at home even if just for one day. I wish them the best of luck the rest of their journey and anticipate great success from Rolling for Autism and from each of them individually in the future.
Gretchen Olney
Although raising money for autism is the number one goal of this great adventure, apparently spotting an alligator was also on the top of the list of things to accomplish during their 2,000 miles. I hadn't been gator hunting for about three summers when I took the 4 and 7 year old brothers I was babysitting but I was happy to help out anyway I could. We left Jason to relieve his "two week golf itch," traded in their rollerblades for golf carts, and set off to find some gators. Our mission was a success. The first lagoon allowed Dan to play tough guy which entailed throwing pine cones at a gator, its size...about three feet long. With that baby alligator officially traumatized we figured it was better to move on and avoid a run in with its parents. However this did not stop any of us from trying out our luck with the creatures lurking around Dataw; for example when Sean did a little trespassing to get closer to another gator baby or when Carson offered up his shoe to allow for me to smack a gator in the face (why the only girl stood up to the challenge I’ll let the boys explain). Gators were the main attraction of our golf cart adventure however we made a little visit to rearrange some people’s crab traps, check out the marina and recklessly drive the golf carts into one another after which Carson announced he will never ride in a motor vehicle with me ever again. We found Jason on the golf course perfecting his swing and tried our best to distract him, which included Dan’s own PG-13 version of a sports fan streaking across the green, however Jason held strong.
Overall, Dan, Sean, Carson and Jason had a long and full day putting forth a tremendous effort on the road working for a great cause and I couldn’t have been happier having them join me at home even if just for one day. I wish them the best of luck the rest of their journey and anticipate great success from Rolling for Autism and from each of them individually in the future.
Gretchen Olney
Thursday, July 5, 2007
RollingForAutism Stats
Hi Friends,
Just a brief update; its late and while a few weeks ago, my late night stamina was that of a college student... Now, I can barely stay awake past eleven after a day of skating.
Some stories to come tomorrow morning. In the meantime, here are some interesting stats to date regarding our efforts.
240- The number of miles skated.
80 - The weight of the pitbull in pounds that chased us for nearly 500 yards.
34- Emails to RollingForAutism today. Things are heating up.
27- The number of media appearances we've had a mere one week into our trip.
This means two things; first, our media team is doing a great job.
Second, and more importantly, we are succeeding in acheiving our
goal of working towards promoting autism awareness.
16- The number of strokes Orto took playing two holes on the golf course today.
A par three, followed by a par four.
8-We saw eight aligators during our South Carolina golf cart gator hunt this
evening. Details to follow.
4- The number of blisters on Orto's right foot.
2- We've eaten two home cooked meals since we've left. Thank you Diana and
Jennifer.
1- Minutes before I fall asleep.
Check in tomorrow.
Bests,
Dan T.
Just a brief update; its late and while a few weeks ago, my late night stamina was that of a college student... Now, I can barely stay awake past eleven after a day of skating.
Some stories to come tomorrow morning. In the meantime, here are some interesting stats to date regarding our efforts.
240- The number of miles skated.
80 - The weight of the pitbull in pounds that chased us for nearly 500 yards.
34- Emails to RollingForAutism today. Things are heating up.
27- The number of media appearances we've had a mere one week into our trip.
This means two things; first, our media team is doing a great job.
Second, and more importantly, we are succeeding in acheiving our
goal of working towards promoting autism awareness.
16- The number of strokes Orto took playing two holes on the golf course today.
A par three, followed by a par four.
8-We saw eight aligators during our South Carolina golf cart gator hunt this
evening. Details to follow.
4- The number of blisters on Orto's right foot.
2- We've eaten two home cooked meals since we've left. Thank you Diana and
Jennifer.
1- Minutes before I fall asleep.
Check in tomorrow.
Bests,
Dan T.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Happy 4th
I want to take the opportunity to wish everyone a safe and happy Independence Day. We appreciate all of the emails, postings, and well wishes. Its great to hear from everyone.
Keep the donations coming...we've been able to see some great programs that are really providing some special services to individuals impacted by autism. I cannot wait to support these great programs and the people they help.
Again, Happy Fourth!
-Dan T.
Keep the donations coming...we've been able to see some great programs that are really providing some special services to individuals impacted by autism. I cannot wait to support these great programs and the people they help.
Again, Happy Fourth!
-Dan T.
Day 2 in Savannah
Yesterday in Savannah involved meeting with children at the Matthew Reardon Center courtesy of Hellen. Seeing the joy that was brought to the faces of these children by our appearance and news about our project was unbelievable; it really confirms every reason for this journey. While at the Matthew Reardon Center, also, Sean and I spoke with a WTOC news anchor about our project and our future endeavors. After that we returned to the hotel for a quick nap before hitting the pavement for another 40 mile day. It was a rather uneventful skate, only coming across two dogs that even made haphazard attempts to chase us. We were prepared this time, however, with some weapons of our own if the dogs did chase us down this day. The roads that we skated on were nice and smooth with relatively little traffic. We skated past a beautiful country club and I wanted to hit the links quite badly. The most eventful occurrence during the day was when a local heaved a metal tire pressure gauge directly past my head and dorve off yelling. I was furious, but there was nothing I could do.
This morning was more of the same as yesterday, a rather uneventful 20 miles of skating. Today my knees hurt badly, but the guys were there for support and helped me along for the entire trip today. We saw another beautiful golf course on our way today and I wondered to myself where the courses like these are near my house. The crew wrapped up 20 miles, and at a feverish pace (20+ miles in 90 minutes). I don't know how much longer I can keep up paces like that, but I will certainly try and see how things go.
Jason O.
This morning was more of the same as yesterday, a rather uneventful 20 miles of skating. Today my knees hurt badly, but the guys were there for support and helped me along for the entire trip today. We saw another beautiful golf course on our way today and I wondered to myself where the courses like these are near my house. The crew wrapped up 20 miles, and at a feverish pace (20+ miles in 90 minutes). I don't know how much longer I can keep up paces like that, but I will certainly try and see how things go.
Jason O.
Monday, July 2, 2007
Savannah Day One
Hi Friends,
Before reading this blog, please read yesterday's posting by Sean....
Yesterday's dog races were certainly eventful. I am the first to confess that I am the slowest skater among the four, and therefore, probably the easiest feast for a hungry pit bull. However, Sean noted that by the end of the day, it seemed interesting to him that the other boys were all sprinting frantically and I seemed to remain cool while being chased by the dogs. Well, to clear things up, unlike the other four skaters, I am not scared of miniature poodles. While the first dog certainly was viscous and probably hungry for "rollerblader," the miniature poodle that chased us across the finish line was friendly, playful, and cuddly. I was behind everyone not because I am a slow skater, but because I stayed behind to pet the nice puppy.
We arrived at Savannah early this morning to appear on Fox's morning show, "am Awake." Carson and I sat in the living room looking set fielding questions from the morning show anchor, Trish with Sean and Orto watching from the station's waiting room.
We next headed to Savannah's Jewish Center to play floor hockey with a group of campers. Orto and I captained the "Sharks" along with six teammates, and Sean and Carson played for the "Cougars." After a hard played game, the sharks prevailed by a goal. A great time was had by all.
Our last stop of the day was at Smooth Smoothie Shop in downtown Savannah. Lynne Javetz organized the event, and it gave us the opportunity to meet several local families impacted by autism. These events are always special, as it gives us the chance to speak with the kids, parents, and siblings of individuals from each area impacted by Autism. A big thank you to Susan from Smooth for putting on the event. If you're from the Savannah area, make sure to check out her place on Wright Square.
Heading out for a bit...
Bests,
Dan T.
Before reading this blog, please read yesterday's posting by Sean....
Yesterday's dog races were certainly eventful. I am the first to confess that I am the slowest skater among the four, and therefore, probably the easiest feast for a hungry pit bull. However, Sean noted that by the end of the day, it seemed interesting to him that the other boys were all sprinting frantically and I seemed to remain cool while being chased by the dogs. Well, to clear things up, unlike the other four skaters, I am not scared of miniature poodles. While the first dog certainly was viscous and probably hungry for "rollerblader," the miniature poodle that chased us across the finish line was friendly, playful, and cuddly. I was behind everyone not because I am a slow skater, but because I stayed behind to pet the nice puppy.
We arrived at Savannah early this morning to appear on Fox's morning show, "am Awake." Carson and I sat in the living room looking set fielding questions from the morning show anchor, Trish with Sean and Orto watching from the station's waiting room.
We next headed to Savannah's Jewish Center to play floor hockey with a group of campers. Orto and I captained the "Sharks" along with six teammates, and Sean and Carson played for the "Cougars." After a hard played game, the sharks prevailed by a goal. A great time was had by all.
Our last stop of the day was at Smooth Smoothie Shop in downtown Savannah. Lynne Javetz organized the event, and it gave us the opportunity to meet several local families impacted by autism. These events are always special, as it gives us the chance to speak with the kids, parents, and siblings of individuals from each area impacted by Autism. A big thank you to Susan from Smooth for putting on the event. If you're from the Savannah area, make sure to check out her place on Wright Square.
Heading out for a bit...
Bests,
Dan T.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Man's Best Friend....Not Today
“You don’t have to outrun the bear, you only have to outrun your friend”
The fourth day of skating began on a hot Georgia morning. While Dan, Carson and I strapped on our skates to start the journey, Jason held down driving responsibilities. It was shaping up to be a good day and for the first mile of our skate, everything was fantastic... then it happened. As we approached the first driveway of the day, we heard something moving in the bushes. As I looked to my left, I saw something sprinting at me...and the chase was on.
I cannot recall the type of dog that emerged from the bushes; lets just say it was big and headed straight for us. We took off in a frantic sprint. I must take a moment and be thankful for the 20 some odd years I have played hockey, as my ability to skate lightening fast helped me in this dilemma.
I almost forgot, when I say we took off in a mad sprint... well two of us did. Unfortunately, being the fastest skater on the team is not a prerequisite to play goaltender in ice hockey. Everyone knows Dan was a goalie in college, and therefore, not exactly the fastest skater on the ice. As Carson and I escaped, the dog bit at Dan's ankles for about fifty long yards. Fortunatly for Dan, he escaped with both of his feet still attached.
The remainder of my skate turned out to be fairly eventful. I had the last driving shift of the day, and therefore, was delegated the responsibilty of filming the boys as they crossed the finish line for the day. I sped ahead in the red rocket (our van) so that I could film the boys coming at me as they finished the last mile. I parked the van, picked up the camera, and looked through the lens. It appeared as if the boys were in an all out sprint. My initial reaction was that the camera was set on fast forward...it wasnt.
I thought to myself that their blistering pace was a little fast for the last mile of a 30 mile skate. I looked again, and sure enough it was another dog chase. As expected, Carson led the pack with a brisk pace, followed by Jason who was screaming like a little girl, and poor goaltender Dan bringing up the rear.
In all fairness to Dan, he didn’t seem to be skating that hard. Quite possibly he was fed up with dogs, it was the 5th chase of the day (4 dogs, 1 coyote). Maybe he was thinking of turning around to challenge the dog, but I doubt it. Only Dan could tell you what happened. Email him (dan@rollingforautism.com), he won't say anything to the three of us...
It was an interesting day and tomorrow is sure to bring more excitement. Make sure to read the blog tomorrow, as we have an interesting day planned in Savannah, Georgia.
Thanks and hope all is well
Sean S.
PS.
Does anyone know why dogs are not chained or fenced in Georgia? Please post a response to our blog if you have any ideas!!!!
The fourth day of skating began on a hot Georgia morning. While Dan, Carson and I strapped on our skates to start the journey, Jason held down driving responsibilities. It was shaping up to be a good day and for the first mile of our skate, everything was fantastic... then it happened. As we approached the first driveway of the day, we heard something moving in the bushes. As I looked to my left, I saw something sprinting at me...and the chase was on.
I cannot recall the type of dog that emerged from the bushes; lets just say it was big and headed straight for us. We took off in a frantic sprint. I must take a moment and be thankful for the 20 some odd years I have played hockey, as my ability to skate lightening fast helped me in this dilemma.
I almost forgot, when I say we took off in a mad sprint... well two of us did. Unfortunately, being the fastest skater on the team is not a prerequisite to play goaltender in ice hockey. Everyone knows Dan was a goalie in college, and therefore, not exactly the fastest skater on the ice. As Carson and I escaped, the dog bit at Dan's ankles for about fifty long yards. Fortunatly for Dan, he escaped with both of his feet still attached.
The remainder of my skate turned out to be fairly eventful. I had the last driving shift of the day, and therefore, was delegated the responsibilty of filming the boys as they crossed the finish line for the day. I sped ahead in the red rocket (our van) so that I could film the boys coming at me as they finished the last mile. I parked the van, picked up the camera, and looked through the lens. It appeared as if the boys were in an all out sprint. My initial reaction was that the camera was set on fast forward...it wasnt.
I thought to myself that their blistering pace was a little fast for the last mile of a 30 mile skate. I looked again, and sure enough it was another dog chase. As expected, Carson led the pack with a brisk pace, followed by Jason who was screaming like a little girl, and poor goaltender Dan bringing up the rear.
In all fairness to Dan, he didn’t seem to be skating that hard. Quite possibly he was fed up with dogs, it was the 5th chase of the day (4 dogs, 1 coyote). Maybe he was thinking of turning around to challenge the dog, but I doubt it. Only Dan could tell you what happened. Email him (dan@rollingforautism.com), he won't say anything to the three of us...
It was an interesting day and tomorrow is sure to bring more excitement. Make sure to read the blog tomorrow, as we have an interesting day planned in Savannah, Georgia.
Thanks and hope all is well
Sean S.
PS.
Does anyone know why dogs are not chained or fenced in Georgia? Please post a response to our blog if you have any ideas!!!!
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Day 3 on the Road . . .
Yesterday we got off to a late start, since we were at the HEAL gala at TPC Sawgrass until late. It started off great, with the exception of my wheels breaking down far faster than they should. We were rolling along on Route 17 for a while, until we got near 95 and then the traffic got so bad we had to pull of the road for a bit. After that, we found Jekyll Island and skated the remainder of the 40 miles for yesterday. We learned our lesson; don't skate during rush hour in the afternoon. The view was great along the ocean while we were skating on Jekyll Island, but we were extremely tired from the first day that it took us a lot longer than anticipated, about an extra half hour of skating. We finally finished skating yesterday at about 8 o'clock and then drove to Brunswick, GA for the evening. We felt worn down and decided to get some pasta dinners (I had a shrimp salad) at Applebees in Brunswick before hitting the pillow to prepare for the next day at about 10.
Today we hit the pavement for another challenging day of skating. We let ourselves sleep in just a little bit, opting to start skating between 10 and 10:30 rather than 6 in the morning. I think that it was a good choice to let our bodied recharge a bit after the difficult skate we had yesterday evening. We had to drive about 30 miles to catch up to the point where we were yesterday, which was right in the beginning part of Darien, Georgia. The day began with Tatar, Strang, and myself hitting the road and letting Streich relax for the first bit. We cruised out to a nice pace (which I regretted about 17 miles into the trip today) and hit nothing but nice weather the entire way and little traffic. The cars that we did see along the way were honking and cheering when they drove past. I couldn't tell if they were honking because they were mad at us for skating on the road or because they were supporting us. Once I hit around 17 miles into the trip today, my legs kind of gave out and I had no energy left to continue and simply drove ahead and filmed the guys as they crossed the finish line; the team skated 30 miles today. Afterwards, we backtracked to Darien, GA (we passed it while skating) to check into the hotel. We had about 15 minutes to spare, so we decided to go across the street and eat at Smokey Joe's Bar-B-Q Shack. Tatar and Streich headed to the beach for the afternoon to relax and get some work done there, but Strang and myself opted to stay around the hotel and get some stuff done. We'll be sure to check in after tomorrow's skate.
Still Rolling,
Jason O.
Today we hit the pavement for another challenging day of skating. We let ourselves sleep in just a little bit, opting to start skating between 10 and 10:30 rather than 6 in the morning. I think that it was a good choice to let our bodied recharge a bit after the difficult skate we had yesterday evening. We had to drive about 30 miles to catch up to the point where we were yesterday, which was right in the beginning part of Darien, Georgia. The day began with Tatar, Strang, and myself hitting the road and letting Streich relax for the first bit. We cruised out to a nice pace (which I regretted about 17 miles into the trip today) and hit nothing but nice weather the entire way and little traffic. The cars that we did see along the way were honking and cheering when they drove past. I couldn't tell if they were honking because they were mad at us for skating on the road or because they were supporting us. Once I hit around 17 miles into the trip today, my legs kind of gave out and I had no energy left to continue and simply drove ahead and filmed the guys as they crossed the finish line; the team skated 30 miles today. Afterwards, we backtracked to Darien, GA (we passed it while skating) to check into the hotel. We had about 15 minutes to spare, so we decided to go across the street and eat at Smokey Joe's Bar-B-Q Shack. Tatar and Streich headed to the beach for the afternoon to relax and get some work done there, but Strang and myself opted to stay around the hotel and get some stuff done. We'll be sure to check in after tomorrow's skate.
Still Rolling,
Jason O.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Reflecting on Jacksonville...
We slept in this morning for the first time since our trip started last Monday, and for good reason. Last night we attended the HEAL Foundation's Valley of Dreams Gala, and what an incredible evening it was for everyone in attendance. I'm uncertain of the total amount of money raised towards the organization's goal of ultimately preventing autism spectrum disorders, but as of the end of the night, roughly $350,000 was raised.
Highlights include an onstage introduction by the night's hostess, Patty Crosby to the over 500 people in attendance. The entire audience, as well as party planner Leslie Weed were overly welcoming to our group of skaters, and we could not be any more thankful and grateful for their warmth. As an organization, we look forward to working with Leslie and HEAL in the future.
Kyle Walsh of the Jacksonville area is an incredibly talented cartoonist. Kyle is also faced with some of the challenges presented by the autism spectrum. Through the auctioning of his art, Kyle raised over $6,000 for the HEAL Foundation last night. Luckily for us as recent college graduates, and unable to afford $6,000 for a piece of work, Kyle gave each of us a copy of a RollingForAutism cartoon he drew. I know that you will be reading this Kyle, so I want you to know that I will frame and hang the drawing in my new apartment in Boston when I move in this September, and I challenge you to create a few pieces we can auction off to use in our fundraising efforts.
Mention and credit also needs to go to CARD of Jacksonville and the Little Star Center. Both are great organizations run by some very committed and talented individuals in the Jacksonville area. We look forward to working with and developing relationships with both of these organizations in the future. We are in the process of creating an information page for the website for each of the organizations we are working with and supporting along our journey.
Finally, to everyone else we met last night, thanks for the great time. We met some awesome people last night, and we hope to hear from all of you and look forward to meeting several of you again on the road this summer. Thanks for the support.
To sum up our Jacksonville experience in one word..."incredible". There really is a strong commitment towards overcoming the obstacles presented by autism spectrum disorders in this community, and if this commitment was universal, I am convinced that these challenges would no longer exist.
Speaking of challenges, we skated 40 miles yesterday....and will be skating nearly 150 miles over the next three days in some pretty nasty southern heat. We'll keep posting.
Congratulations to our two newest advisory board members, Lori Lawrimore and Mararianna McIntyre.
Cheers,
Dan T.
Highlights include an onstage introduction by the night's hostess, Patty Crosby to the over 500 people in attendance. The entire audience, as well as party planner Leslie Weed were overly welcoming to our group of skaters, and we could not be any more thankful and grateful for their warmth. As an organization, we look forward to working with Leslie and HEAL in the future.
Kyle Walsh of the Jacksonville area is an incredibly talented cartoonist. Kyle is also faced with some of the challenges presented by the autism spectrum. Through the auctioning of his art, Kyle raised over $6,000 for the HEAL Foundation last night. Luckily for us as recent college graduates, and unable to afford $6,000 for a piece of work, Kyle gave each of us a copy of a RollingForAutism cartoon he drew. I know that you will be reading this Kyle, so I want you to know that I will frame and hang the drawing in my new apartment in Boston when I move in this September, and I challenge you to create a few pieces we can auction off to use in our fundraising efforts.
Mention and credit also needs to go to CARD of Jacksonville and the Little Star Center. Both are great organizations run by some very committed and talented individuals in the Jacksonville area. We look forward to working with and developing relationships with both of these organizations in the future. We are in the process of creating an information page for the website for each of the organizations we are working with and supporting along our journey.
Finally, to everyone else we met last night, thanks for the great time. We met some awesome people last night, and we hope to hear from all of you and look forward to meeting several of you again on the road this summer. Thanks for the support.
To sum up our Jacksonville experience in one word..."incredible". There really is a strong commitment towards overcoming the obstacles presented by autism spectrum disorders in this community, and if this commitment was universal, I am convinced that these challenges would no longer exist.
Speaking of challenges, we skated 40 miles yesterday....and will be skating nearly 150 miles over the next three days in some pretty nasty southern heat. We'll keep posting.
Congratulations to our two newest advisory board members, Lori Lawrimore and Mararianna McIntyre.
Cheers,
Dan T.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Hittin' the Road
I woke up this morning to find an incrediblty enthusiastic voicemail left on my phone. Dan let me know that the guys are about 30 miles into their first stretch and are taking turns driving for about 10 miles a clip. Although I didn't speak with Dan, I can imagine how this morning's preparations went...
Carson furiously pumped out 1,000 push ups before donning his most skimpy (revealing) tank top... Streich searched frantically for his lucky Canadian flag boxers (which he never found)... Orto shaved his head for better aerodyanmics... and Tatar... hmmm, we can only wonder.
But in all seriousness, the boys are on the road and doing great. I'm sure one of them will check in tonight and let you know about it firsthand. As always, thanks for your support, and keep checking in for the latest from the road.
Cheers,
John S.
Carson furiously pumped out 1,000 push ups before donning his most skimpy (revealing) tank top... Streich searched frantically for his lucky Canadian flag boxers (which he never found)... Orto shaved his head for better aerodyanmics... and Tatar... hmmm, we can only wonder.
But in all seriousness, the boys are on the road and doing great. I'm sure one of them will check in tonight and let you know about it firsthand. As always, thanks for your support, and keep checking in for the latest from the road.
Cheers,
John S.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Preparing for Tomorrow's Beginnings
Today was a long day, beginning at a 4:30 A.M. wake up call, so we could leave the hotel by 5 for a television appearance on "Good Morning Jacksonville." I don't know about the other guys, but while skating around the studio I was worried that I was going to trip over the wires for the cameras. Leaving there around 7 in the morning (earlier than I usually woke up for school), we drove to visit with children at Bayview Elementary School. We then met up with the C.A.R.D. center to talk with local centers about the spectrum of the disorder. We learned about Laura Sanders' Little Star Center, which she began from the ground up. She is an extremely charismatic person who shows a passion for her students that I have never seen before, and it gives an excellent reinforced the reason we are skating all these miles, the children and those who help them daily. Marlena Fuller, who is the educational coordinator for C.A.R.D., was a fantastic person to meet and is a truly caring and enjoyable person.
We got back to the hotel, after lunch, around 3ish and I hit the pillow and slept soundly for about an hour. The guys woke me up abruptly for the convention at the Journey Church (set up by our local surrogate mom, Marianna McInytre). The showing was far greater than I ever expected and the people have all welcomed us with open arms. After the gathering, we went out to dinner at Barbara Jean's restaurant. I ate some of the best crab cakes I have ever had and a tuna steak that was just amazing. Everything to this point has just been fantastic, much better than I ever expected when we began this journey. It's now almost 10 P.M. and we are getting ready to begin the actual skating portion of the trip (40 miles tomorrow morning). Tatar is on the bed doing some reading and writing, while Streich is showering up and getting ready to hit the sack. Strang kicking back relaxing right now and watching a little television. I am off to get my blades ready for the haul tomorrow, shower and stretch before hitting the sack myself. Off to begin the trek tomorrow. Thank you very much to everybody for their support; keep up the good work everybody.
Best wishes,
Jason O.
We got back to the hotel, after lunch, around 3ish and I hit the pillow and slept soundly for about an hour. The guys woke me up abruptly for the convention at the Journey Church (set up by our local surrogate mom, Marianna McInytre). The showing was far greater than I ever expected and the people have all welcomed us with open arms. After the gathering, we went out to dinner at Barbara Jean's restaurant. I ate some of the best crab cakes I have ever had and a tuna steak that was just amazing. Everything to this point has just been fantastic, much better than I ever expected when we began this journey. It's now almost 10 P.M. and we are getting ready to begin the actual skating portion of the trip (40 miles tomorrow morning). Tatar is on the bed doing some reading and writing, while Streich is showering up and getting ready to hit the sack. Strang kicking back relaxing right now and watching a little television. I am off to get my blades ready for the haul tomorrow, shower and stretch before hitting the sack myself. Off to begin the trek tomorrow. Thank you very much to everybody for their support; keep up the good work everybody.
Best wishes,
Jason O.
Jacksonville/Amelia Island Reception
Today's RollingForAutism Reception will be Wednesday, June 27th at 4pm at the Journey Church located at 869 Sadler Road, Suite 5, Fernandina Beach. Next to Blockbuster video.
Also, we'd like to thank the Crab Trap and CedarRiver Seafoods for yesterday's meals.
-Sean S.
Also, we'd like to thank the Crab Trap and CedarRiver Seafoods for yesterday's meals.
-Sean S.
Monday, June 25, 2007
What the boys packed!
Hello from the command center.
Are you wondering what the boys packed with them for this 54 day adventure?
Well, living on the road is no easy feat! And with four full-grown boys there was not too much extra room in the mini-van, which was kindly donated by Enterprise. They each packed a range of clothing specific to the hot Southern climate, including tee-shirts, sport shorts, hats, and many, many pairs of socks. They also packed clothing for guest appearances on television and for their meetings with different autistic societies up the Eastern coast.
They have every color of Gatorade known to man in their van as well. Each boy picked a favorite energy drink or bar to bring with them, and they also snuck some favorite foods in as well! I think I saw some carb-loaded cookies which will surely help them have calories to burn-off on their strenuous route each day. Along with their food, they are well stocked with water supplies and medical supplies. They have hundreds of bandaids and some large ice packs. Their athletic trainer also stuffed a bag full of wraps and blister-prevention cream! There was some room left in the van for a couple of sleeping bags (just in case) and a fancy laptop system.
As for their personal items, the report is that Dan Tatar brought an ipod that shows videos; Sean Streich snuck his favorite stuffed animal into his bag (his "cuddle bear"); Carson Strang packed stacks of library books; and, Jason Ortolano brought along a few Red Sox good luck charms for the road.
More details are to come!
From Massachusetts,
Lauren F.
Are you wondering what the boys packed with them for this 54 day adventure?
Well, living on the road is no easy feat! And with four full-grown boys there was not too much extra room in the mini-van, which was kindly donated by Enterprise. They each packed a range of clothing specific to the hot Southern climate, including tee-shirts, sport shorts, hats, and many, many pairs of socks. They also packed clothing for guest appearances on television and for their meetings with different autistic societies up the Eastern coast.
They have every color of Gatorade known to man in their van as well. Each boy picked a favorite energy drink or bar to bring with them, and they also snuck some favorite foods in as well! I think I saw some carb-loaded cookies which will surely help them have calories to burn-off on their strenuous route each day. Along with their food, they are well stocked with water supplies and medical supplies. They have hundreds of bandaids and some large ice packs. Their athletic trainer also stuffed a bag full of wraps and blister-prevention cream! There was some room left in the van for a couple of sleeping bags (just in case) and a fancy laptop system.
As for their personal items, the report is that Dan Tatar brought an ipod that shows videos; Sean Streich snuck his favorite stuffed animal into his bag (his "cuddle bear"); Carson Strang packed stacks of library books; and, Jason Ortolano brought along a few Red Sox good luck charms for the road.
More details are to come!
From Massachusetts,
Lauren F.
Headin' South
Good afternoon,
After a week of solid packing and final preparations, we are finally on our way to Florida. I must admit that I am impressed by the technology brought on this trip, as I write this entry from the passenger seat of our sweet red minivan. I didn't know one could access the Internet from a car on the highway. We're currently in Maryland, about thirty miles north of Baltimore. We're thinking of stopping in Charleston, South Carolina for the night to visit some friends and to have some fun.
A lot has been planned for the first few days in Florida, and we're grateful to the group of parents that have taken us under their wings to make sure our experience is a great one. We have an appearance on Good Morning Jacksonville, a pizza party with area families impacted by autism, a tour of local autism programs with CARD, and an invitation to the Heal Foundation's fundraising party at TPC Sawgrass....not to mention the beach is about a block from our hotel, so we'll have to make some time for the sun.
Carson's about to read us a passage from Neil Strauss' "The Game" to pass the time. I'm sure a lengthy and intellectually charged group discussion session will follow.
Bests,
Dan T. and Streich from the Driver Seat
After a week of solid packing and final preparations, we are finally on our way to Florida. I must admit that I am impressed by the technology brought on this trip, as I write this entry from the passenger seat of our sweet red minivan. I didn't know one could access the Internet from a car on the highway. We're currently in Maryland, about thirty miles north of Baltimore. We're thinking of stopping in Charleston, South Carolina for the night to visit some friends and to have some fun.
A lot has been planned for the first few days in Florida, and we're grateful to the group of parents that have taken us under their wings to make sure our experience is a great one. We have an appearance on Good Morning Jacksonville, a pizza party with area families impacted by autism, a tour of local autism programs with CARD, and an invitation to the Heal Foundation's fundraising party at TPC Sawgrass....not to mention the beach is about a block from our hotel, so we'll have to make some time for the sun.
Carson's about to read us a passage from Neil Strauss' "The Game" to pass the time. I'm sure a lengthy and intellectually charged group discussion session will follow.
Bests,
Dan T. and Streich from the Driver Seat
Friday, June 22, 2007
Kickin Off
Hi folks,
The Center for the Disabled in Albany threw a massive kickoff event for our trip yesterday morning. Over one hundred people lined the center's parking lot to cheer us on and offer words of encouragement for our upcoming journey. The story was captured by three news stations, and Tatar's smiling face was interviewed for the Capital District to see.
Many of the kids at the Center made signs with words of encouragement and "good luck cards." We plan to take several of these cards on the road this summer, and use them for encouragement when times get tough. The excitement everyone brought to the kickoff will be recollected and used as motivation when the hills get steep, the blisters get sore, and the southern heat becomes too hot to handle.
The response to our efforts is incredible. We've been in contact with many parents and organizations over the last few days as we network in the cities through which we are skating. It is amazing how committed these parents are towards improving the lives of their children....It's an honor for us to be able to work with so many committed parents.
This blog is going to get real interesting....real soon.
Bests,
Dan T. and Carson S.
The Center for the Disabled in Albany threw a massive kickoff event for our trip yesterday morning. Over one hundred people lined the center's parking lot to cheer us on and offer words of encouragement for our upcoming journey. The story was captured by three news stations, and Tatar's smiling face was interviewed for the Capital District to see.
Many of the kids at the Center made signs with words of encouragement and "good luck cards." We plan to take several of these cards on the road this summer, and use them for encouragement when times get tough. The excitement everyone brought to the kickoff will be recollected and used as motivation when the hills get steep, the blisters get sore, and the southern heat becomes too hot to handle.
The response to our efforts is incredible. We've been in contact with many parents and organizations over the last few days as we network in the cities through which we are skating. It is amazing how committed these parents are towards improving the lives of their children....It's an honor for us to be able to work with so many committed parents.
This blog is going to get real interesting....real soon.
Bests,
Dan T. and Carson S.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Five Days till Departure....
Hi all,
We're leaving in less than five days, and our days couldn't be any busier...Graduation last week and RollingForAutism next week. Graduation was incredible, and our speaker, Charles Gibson, formerly the host of Good Morning America and the current host of ABC Nightly News was absolutely brilliant. If you receive the opportunity to hear Gibson speak, you owe it to yourself to attend.
Today, Carson and I received Tea Tree Therapy from Spa Li Ve'. This morning we did not know Tea Trees existed, let alone were used to create therapeutic hair and scalp products. We each received a stress releasing treatment, professional hair cut, and some products to take with us this summer. A big thank you to Manolo, Maureen, Liberty, and Renee for making sure we look our sharpest on the road this summer.
We've got our Albany kickoff party tomorrow morning at the Center for the Disabled in Albany. We look forward to meeting everyone that comes out to support us. Details to follow....
Cheers,
Dan T. and Carson S.
We're leaving in less than five days, and our days couldn't be any busier...Graduation last week and RollingForAutism next week. Graduation was incredible, and our speaker, Charles Gibson, formerly the host of Good Morning America and the current host of ABC Nightly News was absolutely brilliant. If you receive the opportunity to hear Gibson speak, you owe it to yourself to attend.
Today, Carson and I received Tea Tree Therapy from Spa Li Ve'. This morning we did not know Tea Trees existed, let alone were used to create therapeutic hair and scalp products. We each received a stress releasing treatment, professional hair cut, and some products to take with us this summer. A big thank you to Manolo, Maureen, Liberty, and Renee for making sure we look our sharpest on the road this summer.
We've got our Albany kickoff party tomorrow morning at the Center for the Disabled in Albany. We look forward to meeting everyone that comes out to support us. Details to follow....
Cheers,
Dan T. and Carson S.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Welcome Friends....
I'm excited to announce that all of the RollingForAutism Skaters and Senior Team Members finished college this week. I turned my last paper in with a full twenty-two minutes to spare.... Congratulations to all!
While our first day of skating is only thirteen days away, its really unfair to say it will be our first day of skating. For the last three months, we have been training rigorously...20-30 mile skates and spending a lot of time in the gym. Lots of credit to our training staff for putting together a program to prepare us for this journey.....and more importantly, for doing everything possible to manage our blisters. We're excited to put all of this training to the test in two weeks.
We plan to update this blog everyday throughout the trip, as we work with different organizations on top of our daily skate. Different skaters will be posting daily, so you can learn about our experiences through numerous perspectives. I also have a feeling this blog will get fairly humerous at times.
The anticipation is certainly building, as we are receiving many emails and phone calls each day of offers for help. Keep them coming, we look forward to meeting as many of you as possible.
Cheers,
Dan T.
While our first day of skating is only thirteen days away, its really unfair to say it will be our first day of skating. For the last three months, we have been training rigorously...20-30 mile skates and spending a lot of time in the gym. Lots of credit to our training staff for putting together a program to prepare us for this journey.....and more importantly, for doing everything possible to manage our blisters. We're excited to put all of this training to the test in two weeks.
We plan to update this blog everyday throughout the trip, as we work with different organizations on top of our daily skate. Different skaters will be posting daily, so you can learn about our experiences through numerous perspectives. I also have a feeling this blog will get fairly humerous at times.
The anticipation is certainly building, as we are receiving many emails and phone calls each day of offers for help. Keep them coming, we look forward to meeting as many of you as possible.
Cheers,
Dan T.
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